Just weeks after British dairy farmers embarked upon a spate of blockades to protest against processors they felt had reneged on hard won agreements made last summer, producers in France have begun protesting over the price they are paid for milk.

Farmers in the North of France targeted supermarkets in actions earlier this week; the protestors, supported by farming union FDSEA, spread straw over a supermarket car park and trolleys in the region of Eure-et-Loir.   

The average farm gate milk price in France is around 30 cents per litre (25ppl), more than three pence below the price paid to producers in Britain. FDSEA is calling for "An immediate increase in the price of milk… to offset the significant increase in costs." The protesting farmers are seeking a raise of 4 cents per litre.

At the beginning of the month, the union called on government to "play its role" in negotiations between farming organisations and milk buyers and said government had a responsibility to maintain "economic and social equilibrium" in France.

French dairy farmers' association FNPL (National Federation of Dairy Producers) also urged the government to provide "concrete solutions" instead of paying lip service to farmers' concerns, while allowing imbalance in the supply chain to continue. FNPL also said the increasing cost of milk production must be shared throughout the supply chain, and that farmers must also receive fairer returns. A statement from the group earlier this month proclaimed, "Milk producers cannot be the only ones [forced] to tighten their belts."