Farmers across Britain must "keep up the pressure" on the British government to apply for EU compensation to offset losses caused by the strength of sterling, the farmers' unions said yesterday as they prepared to launch a £150,000 advertising campaign in the national press to win public support.
The adverts, organised by the National Farmers' Union, are due to appear in newspapers today. They urge consumers to buy British beef and sign a petition calling on the government to respond to the farmers' demands for compensation.
The British Foreign Secretary, Mr Robin Cook, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, discussed the dispute on the fringes of an EU session in Brussels yesterday. Mr Andrews later said the suspension of the blockade at Stranraer could be the beginning of the end of the dispute and legal action against the farmers would be "the last resort". He said that although he had expressed his "deep concern" to Mr Cook, he preferred to "see what happens" in the next few days.
While the farmers' unions insisted yesterday that the government could solve the farmers' problems "overnight" by agreeing to apply for the £980 million in EU compensation, the president of the National Farmers' Union, Sir David Naish, told a press conference in London the farmers wanted "a level playing field" with their EU partners.
Earlier, Sir David met 45 county chairmen of the National Farmers' Union, but had not found them in conciliatory mood. They were "furious, anxious and deeply concerned about the future of all sectors of farming", he said.
Regarding the continuing pickets at ports around Britain, Sir David said: "We are all in partnership together. I say keep it peaceful, keep within the law and thank you for supporting the teamwork to get this issue addressed."
Meanwhile, the Road Haulage Association urged farmers in England and Wales to follow the example of their colleagues in Scotland who suspended their blockade of Stranraer in order for the unions to negotiate with the government on Sunday.
The dispute, compounded by the British government's announcement of a ban on the sale of beef on the bone last week, is sporadic but nonetheless it is holding. In north Wales, in particular, the farmers have mounted 24-hour pickets which will continue unless the government comes up with a compensation package.
Protests are also set to continue at Dover, Liverpool and Portsmouth.