New strike by Argentine farmers

Farmers in Argentina have declared their fourth strike in as many months, starting at 0300 GMT Sunday, to protest against tax increases on food exports.

Argentina is one of the world's top exporters of wheat, soya and beef.

A focus of the farmers' anger is an increase in the export tax on soya, which earned $13bn (£6.6bn) in 2007.

On Saturday, Argentine riot police broke up a road blockade by protesting truckers and farmers on a main road near the border with Uruguay.

Riot police moved in to clear Route 14, a major road link with Brazil.

Nearly 20 protesters were temporarily detained, among them the leader of the local farmers' association, Alfredo de Angeli.

Action day

Other highways were being blocked by angry hauliers whose livelihood has been damaged by the ongoing tax dispute.

The lorry drivers' protest has led to fuel shortages and is threatening food stocks in parts of Argentina.

Leading activists said the latest strike would continue until Wednesday but suggested renewed road blockades would not be involved.

"We are not calling for a blockade," said Eduardo Buzzi, one of the strike leaders.

"We want only to control the cargo transported by trucks."

He criticised Saturday's detention of farmers and said the unions would hold a national day of action on Wednesday to protest against their arrests.

"We're keeping the protest alive," AFP news agency reported him as saying.

"We don't want to overturn the government. We want a democratic, federal and republican country."

Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner last week defended her government's decision to impose higher export taxes.

She said the additional money raised would be spent on tackling poverty by building more housing, hospitals and roads.

Last Monday, the farmers had suspended the protests in the hope of returning to the negotiations with the government.