FARMERS devastated by the foot and mouth epidemic reacted with bitterness today at the announcement of £1 billion profits for the supermarket giant Tesco, one of the "big four" which now handle 57% of the nation's food sales.

Sainsbury's are also said to be on line for huge profits at a time when farmers are getting even lower prices for their produce and there have been complaints for the past decade of the superstore chains using their buying muscle to squeeze farmers' financially dry.

As we reported recently, Prime Minister Tony Blair complained that the supermarket chains had the farmers "in a head-lock" - a statement later much softened by Downing Street spin-doctors.

But today, Prof. Tim Lang, a food production expert at Thames Valley University, accused the big four supermarkets of having "baronial" powers over farmers like those exercised by the big landowners of medieval times.

Tesco bosses, clearly embarrassed at announcing a record profits bonanza whilst farming is gripped by crisis, rushed to defend the group with multiple reasons for their success: they had taken money not from the farmers but from rival retailers; that much of the profit came from none-food items; that food prices were governed by worldwide market trends.

However, Managing Director Terry Lee came up with proposal which should be snatched up by the agricultural industry. He promised to set up a group to work with farmers provide them with accurate information on changing customer demands, so that they can grow the right produce at the right time.

"We must work closely with the farmers not against them," he acknowledged.

Other developments include:

• NFU president Ben Gill had another meeting with the Prime Minister in which they discussed new outbreaks in areas many miles from existing cases, including Whitby in North Yorkshire. It is believed these new outbreaks may have been spread by people or their vehicles and Mr Gill called on all farmers to exercise extreme vigilance in disinfecting themselves and their transport.

• In another sinister development, it was announced that trading standards officers were investigating some 300 illegal movements of livestock. Farmers breaking movement restrictions can face fines running into thousands of pounds.

• And organisations representing thousands of country pubs, whose profits have been slashed by the epidemic, have appealed to the public to visit their favourite pubs over Easter if they lie in "safe" areas.