MILITANT farmers have threatened to bring Tesco to its knees unless the UK's largest multiple makes price concessions to the industry.

Farmers for Action (FFA) - architects of the assured produce scheme 'discredited' controversy - says it will blockade the supermarket's five national distribution points unless its meets to discuss relaxing its low pricing structure by January 8.

Bosses at the pro-active farming organisation claim the protest will be the largest scale mass action since the fuel crisis forced the UK to a halt.

Tesco, which made £1 billion profit last year, has been singled out for its behaviour after Safeway agreed a one penny price hike on retailed milk, and Sainsbury's entered into a sustained dialogue on prices with the pressure group.

FFA chief David Handley told the Independent: 'If they thought they'd seen anything before Christmas they haven't seen anything yet.

'We'll put them out of business,' he warned.

The uncompromising threat comes just days after Tesco boss Terry Leahy was knighted for his services to food retailing.

But Tesco appeared undeterred by the words of the FFA.

A spokesman told the Independent: 'We are sympathetic to the pressure farmers are under due to low market prices but Tesco is not responsible for their hardship.' He went on to rule out a meeting with FFA bosses and said: 'We have nothing to give the FFA. We do not set farm gate prices and we do not control the economics of the marketplace in which we operate.' Tesco suggested its 'producer clubs' were a way for farmers to air their grievances, but Handley dismissed the meetings as unconstructive.

Drawing attention to Safeway's decision to hike the milk price he told the Independent: 'We are talking about minuscule amounts of money that mean nothing to the consumer, but go a long way to help us.'

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