Five thousand farmers and around 1000 tractors were out on the streets in Luxembourg to protest at poor market returns, particularly for milk.

Five thousand farmers and around 1000 tractors were out on the streets in Luxembourg to protest at poor market returns, particularly for milk.

Dairy farmers across Europe are experiencing falling prices that have left them producing milk at a loss.

While UK milk prices have been cushioned by the weakness of sterling from the worst cuts, prices have fallen in some European Union countries to those of 1983.

The mass demonstrations, involving farmers from all 27 member states, was organised by the EU farmers' body COPA-COGECA and timed to coincide with the EU agricultural ministers' monthly council meeting.

Among the masses were a fair number of farmers representing the UK sheep industry, including representatives from all the UK farming unions and the National Sheep Association (NSA), who were lobbying against the introduction of individual electronic sheep identification (EID).

George Milne, of the NSA, said: "Sheep production figured highly and sheep were penned up at the front of the protest so that the Commission could see the sector was out in force".

The issue of sheep EID was set to be raised at the end of the council meeting under any other business by the UK Government.