UNIONS representing farmers from across Northern Ireland plan to host emergency talks next Monday to discuss the milk pricing crisis that is threatening to close scores of dairy businesses.
Farmers have been intensifying their protests at supermarkets across the north to vent their anger and frustration at being paid less per litre than they claim it costs to produce.
And rural action groups have demanded that EU must immediately raise intervention price - currently standing at around 14p a litre - to "a more realistic level".
In a statement yesterday, the Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) confirmed that it will meet with the National Farmers' Union in England and its Welsh and Scottish counterparts to call for "a commitment to back British farming".
In recent days farmers have been demonstrating outside retailers' depots and supermarkets in the north, in towns stretching from Coleraine to Banbridge.
Farmers surrounded the milk fridges and cleared the shelves in some Sainsbury's and Tesco supermarkets in an attempt to let shoppers know how their incomes have fallen, and a lorry delivering milk to another store was blocked.
And UFU president Ian Marshall warned that the frustration "is beginning to spill over into actions no-one wants".
He said: “This is a multi-factorial problem across the entire industry both sectorally and geographically for which there is no single solution.
"But it is essential that everyone in government and the supply chain plays their part in helping to urgently address these genuine and serious difficulties.
NFU president Meurig Raymond added: "The situation many of our members are experiencing has become a crisis.
"In dairy, many milk producers have seen price cut after price cut. It's simply not sustainable for any farmer to continue to produce milk if they're selling it at a loss.
"The plight of many farmers has become desperately serious and with no sign that things will improve, we really need urgent action from retailers, the food service sector and processors to show commitment to dairy farmers."
The plight being faced by many farms has been descried as "desperate" as many fear they will ultimately go out of business.
"There needs to be a clear understanding from all of those involved that something has to change," Mr Marshall added.
Last night the Farmers for Action (FfA) in the north claimed that millions of European cash could offer a possible solution to the current farming crisis.
The lobby group's co-ordinator William Taylor pointed to comments made in Belfast by EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan in which he said that each region of the EU could draw down soft loans to be paid back at extremely low interest rates over an extended period of time.
Mr Hogan also said that "there's money out there which can help us, if we're smart enough to reach out for it".
Mr Taylor said: "With the correct negotiating skills taken to Brussels by members of the agricultural committee, the minister and others in early September to meet the commissioner, I see no reason why this money could not be used to support not only dairying but all sectors of the farming community here."
