Farmers unite

Mr Dibble, of Eastrop Farm, Highworth, will join other farmers in a blockade at an unnamed local dairy tomorrow in a bitter dispute with milk processors he says are crippling his industry.

The action is part of nationwide action that aims to starve the British public of their daily pinta.

Around 150 milk depots across the country will be targeted.

The farmers want 20.6p a litre for their milk rather than the standard 15.3p being received at present.

In action reminiscent of the fuel crisis two years ago the farmers plan to stop lorry drivers as they arrive or leave depots and ask them not to cross the picket line.

Milk is delivered to depots where it is pasteurised and labelled before being delivered to supermarkets.

And the militants reckon by taking this action supermarket and shop shelves will be empty by Friday lunchtime.

Mr Dibble, 42, who has a wife and three children, said: "If we don't take action then no one will listen to us. The aim of the blockade is to mess up supply in the short term.

"Most dairy farmers are selling their milk below the cost of production. The average farmer now earns £4,500 each year, which is not consistent with the hours worked it's way below the minimum.

"I have no qualms about doing this at all and it will continue until we are given assurances that the price per litre will increase.

"It's the people we sell milk to who are making the profit. What people pay for their milk and what we receive are a lot different."

Milk accounts for 40 per cent of Mr Dibble's income on his 1,300-acre organic farm.

Dairy farmer Denise Plummer, 52, Wiltshire county chairman of the National Farmers' Union, said that she sympathised with the farmers' plight, but could not condone their action.

"Somehow we have got to make people who buy our products realise we need a fair amount of money for them, but I'm not sure this is the way to do it," she said.

"Farmers are producing milk at below the cost of production and battling against cheap imports. It's an undervalued industry.

"I don't support this kind of action, but I can understand why farmers want to do it out of immense frustration.

"I hope there is milk available on the shelves because it will not do us any good if there isn't. Nobody is asking to rip anyone off we just want a fair price for what we produce."

Vehicles delivering baby milk or making deliveries to factories and hospitals will be waved through the blockades.

British dairy farmers produce 14 billion litres of milk each year, half of which is sold in shops or delivered to the doorstep.

Jonathan Church, spokesman for Tesco in Ocotal Way, said: "We will always strive to make arrangements so that our customers continue to have supplies of milk. I would like to reassure customers there is no need to take any other action."