NORTH Yorkshire farmers who blockaded a supermarket giant's distribution depot as part of a national protest against its pricing structure say they are set to take action again.

Local members of Farmers For Action (FFA), who blockaded the Tesco freight depot in Doncaster four times last month, are ready to stop vehicles leaving and entering the site indefinitely later this month unless talks take place between the two parties. FFA says that Tesco, which is expected to make a profit of more than £1.2 billion this year, is setting a price structure that forces its members to sell their goods for less than they cost to produce.

FFA has been in talks with all the major supermarkets but negotiations with Tesco broke down at the end of last year, according to David Handley, chairman of FFA.

He has written to the supermarket's newly-knighted chief executive, Sir Terry Leahy, asking for talks to resume immediately.

A deadline of January 8 has been set, after which indefinite blockades will begin at five national distribution depots.

Thirsk farmer Moira Peckitt, the FFA's North Yorkshire representative, said farmers from the county had helped to blockade the Doncaster depot four times in December in protest at what the supermarket pays farmers for their produce.

Updated: 10:44 Friday, January 04, 2002