FAT cat salaries paid to supermarket bosses were a slap in the face for farmers who struggled to make ends meet while producing the nation's food, the head of the National Sheep Association told an industry gathering.

John Thorley, NSA chief executive, said some upland farmers barely earned in a year what the chief executive of Tesco was paid in a day - £7,000.

His comments came a week after it was announced that the Tesco chief executive received £2.8m last year, with each of the chain's eight executives being paid more than £1m.

"Is food production less important than running a shop?" Mr Thorley asked visitors at the North Sheep03 exhibition at Walburn Hall, between Leyburn and Richmond, on Wednesday.

"I am very deeply concerned about a system which allows wages of this size to be paid to an individual who is at least partly responsible for the comparatively low prices paid to farmers. I wonder at its morality and its sustainability.

"It is time the so-called cheap food system is seen for what it is - a system that has robbed farmers of their ability to charge a proper price for their produce."

Mr Thorley, who officially opened the event, said the increasing stranglehold on farming by major retailers and politicians must cease, to ensure large tracts of the UK's land was not deserted by farmers.

Better prices obtained recently for sheep were only slightly up on prices ten years ago and the huge amount of work, paperwork and bureaucracy which farmers faced was forcing more and more out of the industry, particularly among the younger generation.

The improvement in prices had been almost totally down to auction marts, but work was needed to ensure greater convenience for sellers.

Mr Thorley was concerned at bidders who bought on behalf of several different accounts, which resulted in "one man effectively competing against himself".

"Adamant as I am that the live auction mart is the best system to trade sheep, it could benefit from some adjustment," he said.

Issues which needed addressing included the single dressing specification for lamb, which the NSA was keen to get in place.

In the current climate of terrorism threats, when food imports could be among the casualties, it was vital that the Government invested in agriculture to ensure British farmers could feed the whole country if required," said Mr Thorley.

In the wake of foot-and-mouth, a slightly better dialogue had opened up between the industry and the Government, but there was still a long way to go.

Links between the NSA and Defra were more constructive than ever before and Defra officials had played some part in briefing Euro MPs on the concerns the industry had over the sheep identification scheme. It was important to continue to work with Defra to raise understanding of farming among Government ministers.

At a press conference following the opening ceremony, Mr Thorley said it was important that auction marts made it as simple to take stock into their rings as to take it to the abattoir. There was room for both a deadweight system and live trading.

Kevin Pearce, NFU senior policy adviser, praised the marts' role in helping farmers through foot-and-mouth and in the aftermath. It was important, however, that both options remained open to producers and that both had open and transparent means of trading.

"We need both systems to operate and to become more complementary than oppositional," said Mr Pearce. "At the moment it seems to be one or the other, but they both need to be there, not just for fatstock but for store and breeding stock."

Trade stand winners were presented with their prizes during the official opening.

Results. - Sheep breed society: 1 Blackface; 2 Rough Fell; 3 Herdwick. Wool on hoof: 1 Rough Fell; 2 Masham; 3 Blue-faced Leicester. Outdoor trade stands: 1 Eden Farm Supplies; 2 Carrs-Billington; 3 Elliott Engineering. Indoor trade stands: 1 CBS Technology; 2 Hexham and Northern Marts; 3 Eblex.