TRADERS and shoppers in the Okehampton area were this week banning French food from their shelves and shopping trolleys to support the crisis-hit farmers.

France's refusal to lift its ban on British beef has sparked numerous protests around the county including ones at Hatherleigh and Okehampton on Tuesday.

Somerfield was the target in Okehampton when farmers with banners stood outside asking customers to boycott French produce.

And as the first of the large autumn sales at Hatherleigh Cattle Market got underway, French food and wines were taken off the shelves of shops in the town and the pubs and hotel stopped serving it.

'I have lived and worked with the farming community all my life — I have never cried for the farmers but I am now,' said Hatherleigh greengrocer John Entwistle after he threw 20 lbs of French apples in the bin.

'Hatherleigh is beef city — we are surrounded by farms and have an abattoir and cattle market — the town is very dependent on agriculture.'

Farmer Rod MacKenzie from Hatherleigh said: 'The whole town is closed down to French produce.

'The traders, the public houses and hotel have all agreed to ban it.

'I understand the French, who were originally stopping our vehicles from going through to Spain and Italy, may now allow us to go through. Perhaps if we apply enough pressure they will lift this illegal and unnecessary ban.

'The EU Commission has declared that our beef is safe. British farmers have worked very hard and it has cost them a lot of money to make sure they comply with all the standards laid down by the EU.

'The French are protecting their own market and looking after their own farmers — it is a great pity that the British Government does not do the same.'

Manager of the Tally Ho! public house, Darren Hemsley, said he had taken 30 to 40 per cent of the wines off his drinks' list and all the brandies.

'The farmers support us so we are supporting them,' he said. 'I am changing all my stock to something different and if it works I don't see any point in changing back to French wines.'

Digby Greenhill, of Greenhills Newsagents, said: 'We are losing a bit of money by not selling French wines but we would lose a lot more if the abattoir closed down with the loss of 40 jobs.

'We will continue to support the farmers to get the publicity they want. Once they have made people aware of what is happening then people will have to make their own choice as to whether they want to buy French goods or not.'

Despite the ban on French goods, Hatherleigh traders said their actions had not damaged relations with their twin town of 20 years — Ballots in Normandy.

Okehampton and Hatherleigh NFU members, who organised a protest outside Somerfield in Okehampton, praised the support of shoppers.

Fresh from the angry protests in Plymouth's Millbay Docks the night before, branch secretary Simon Whattler said on Tuesday: 'If products will not be taken off the shelves then asking people to avoid buying them is actually the same as them not being there.

'We are not making a nuisance of ourselves or getting in the way of customers, we are just making them aware of the problem and this protest gives farmers a chance to talk to the public.

'Generally, the public have no idea about the crisis in agriculture. People are shocked when we explain in depth the way farming is being regulated and the huge costs in the industry to make sure everything is safe and we abide by European legislation.

'Meanwhile, other members of the European Community do not abide by the rules and therefore our products are more expensive.

'Farmers are at breaking point and that was evident from the protests in Millbay Docks which were very physical.

'Our farmers are usually very quiet compared with French farmers, but they are getting to the brink of disaster.'

Sheep farmer Melanie Sears from Venton said she usually bought French apples because her partner liked them but he would have to do without them for the time being.

'Anyone else who has gone through a crisis, like the miners for example, has had a redundancy package — farmers do not just lose their farm they lose their home as well and there is nobody to give them a pay-off.

'I am lucky because my partner is employed and the sheep farming I do is small-scale. I am not totally dependent on farming like a lot of families are.'

Farmer's wife Diane Jordan from Gidleigh said: 'We have done everything. Our calves have passports, we keep records of every movement of every animal and no animals over 30 months of age can get through the system anyway.

'I believe the French are not lifting this ban because they know our beef is better and they know the minute they let it back into their country they will not be able to sell most of theirs.'