Paris, June 12 - French farmers protesting against margins earned by supermarkets on everyday food products blocked retail warehouses across France on Friday.
Farmers blocked access to around 40 out of some 60 distribution centres that supply French supermarkets as part of a 48-hour protest, France's main farm union, the FNSEA, said.
"The call for action runs until Saturday evening but we suppose that some people will keep going after that," a spokeswoman said.
The FNSEA is to meet France's farm and consumer affairs ministers on Saturday morning to discuss the issue, the union said in a statement.
It says retailers are making big margins on basic foods such as milk, fruit and meat at a time when prices paid to producers are declining.
Farm minister Michel Barnier said this week a new committee charged with monitoring margins along the food chain is ready to publish its first findings -- relating to pork prices -- but the FNSEA says progress has been too slow.
The action against retailers comes on top of a month-long dispute over milk prices that has seen farmers block dairies and demonstrate in front of the offices of big dairy manufacturers.
Despite a government-brokered deal last week on a benchmark price for milk this year, dairy producers have continued their protests locally.