SUPERMARKETS will be targeted by farmers as part of a UK-wide campaign of disruption designed to shut down milk supplies if prices paid to dairies are not changed.

Dairy producers claim some processors have agreed to talks as the lobby group Farmers For Action (FFA) said last night it will extend a 48-hour blockade of farms to include a programme of disruption at supermarkets, distribution centres and milk processing firms.

The group claims to have the backing of 1000 dairy farmers in Scotland for the action after August 1, when a double drop in the price paid to farmers per litre of milk takes effect. It has not revealed details of the protest.

However, the representative body for supermarkets said the chains were being wrongly targeted and any such moves would affect consumers.

FFA insists many farmers are struggling to survive after a 2p cut earlier this year. It says a second cut at the same level will force families who have been dairy farming for hundreds of years to go out of business.

The lobby group wants prices restored to the pre-May level of 29p a litre.

Processors and supermarkets blame global overproduction of milk and a drop in the price of cream for the cuts to farmers, while farmers say unfair pricing policies are the cause.

Farmers want a pledge from processors and supermarkets by July 31, the day before the latest planned cut, that prices will be restored within eight weeks from then.

If prices are not restored, the summer of discontent could stretch into the autumn, with farmers prepared to take further action at the end of September.

In a letter to all processors and farmers in the UK, the FFA's David Handley said: "If the recent price decreases are not reinstated by August, our initial intention is to blockade milk tankers on farms for up to 48 hours, and to identify those processors who claim they cannot get the cost of production out of the market place and to identify those retailers who will not pay the processors a true market price.

"Our second disruption will be to target those individual processors, including small independents, who do not sign up to a voluntary declaration to pay the farmers at least the cost of production.

"Our third disruption will be to picket supermarkets and distribution sites of retailers who do not sign up to a voluntary declaration to pay farmers and processors a true farm gate price and processing cost."

Mr Handley said he expected "a letter of intent in reply" by July 31.

A spokesman for the British Retail Consortium, which represents supermarkets, said: "Supermarkets are the wrong target here because 11 out of 12 of the best-paying milk contracts are paid by supermarkets."