Argentine farmers 'to stop sales'

Farmers staged nationwide protests for several months last year

Argentine farmers say they plan to halt livestock and grain sales to protest against export taxes and quotas.

The four-day protest is due to start on Friday, farm leaders say, dismissing government calls for negotiations on long-running disputes as "a ploy".

Producers last year withheld their harvests and blocked roads for four months in protest against government plans to increase export taxes.

That strike caused food shortages in Buenos Aires and other areas.

Farmers protested again later in the year, calling on the government to provide subsidies for small- and medium-scale farmers and to help those in the north of Argentina suffering the effects of a devastating drought.

The government had been hoping to avoid the latest strike by discussing issues such as export taxes, price controls and government aid to drought-affected farmers.

Suppliers have been hard-hit by falling commodity prices as a result of the global economic malaise, prompting calls for lower export taxes, especially on soy.

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