Protest group Farmers for Action has called off dairy protests until after a meeting in Parliament on Wednesday, and the NFU has called on retailers not to make dairy farmers pay for cut price milk.

David Handley, chair of Farmers for Action, which has coordinated a string of protests across the country this month, will be meeting MPs in the House of Commons on Wednesday. Handley has said that FFA will not be organising further protests until after the meeting.

FFA said on its website that "Further protests on falling milk prices and the devaluing of our products will recommence once the… meeting has been held." The group announced on Monday that it had been told by processor Arla that there will be no November price cuts; Arla cut milk prices by 1.67 pence at the end of September.  

Meanwhile, the NFU, which has refused to back the direct action campaign, "Issued a rallying call to processors, retailers, and policy makers both in the UK and the EU" in response to "Mounting concern over the falling milk price on global markets."

NFU dairy board chair Rob Harrison said, "I am meeting with all aspects of the dairy supply chain to ensure all that can be done is being done and that no-one is using the current downward price trend as a convenient excuse to make additional cuts to the farmgate price."

Harrison said, "Only last week Iceland joined other retailers who are using milk as a loss leader. While consumers are getting a good deal in their shopping basket and are being encouraged to buy and use more milk, to all retailers I say this: You must promise to ensure you fund those deals from your own profit margins and not take it from the pocket of farmers – not now and not ever. It's vital those retailers put transparent pricing mechanisms in place and ensure suppliers are compliant with the Voluntary Code."

Iceland has assured that farmers will not be paying for price cuts in its stores. Even so, Harrison echoed FFA in cautioning that "Milk being sold this cheaply devalues the product in the eyes of consumers. This could have long-term negative ramifications for the sector as a whole."

The dairy board chair said, "Everyone needs to play their part to ensure British dairy farmers weather this global price storm. I will continue to meet with policy-makers both here and in the EU to look at what market interventions are possible and continue the work we have in place on the voluntary code which helps to ensure fairness and transparency in the supply chain between processors and their suppliers."

On Monday, Anne Mackintosh, chair of the EFRA Select Committee, demanded an update on the dairy industry situation from Defra secretary Elizabeth Truss. Ms Mackintosh urged the government to "Look at… whether the voluntary code of practice applying to contracts between farmers and dairy processors should be made mandatory."