THE stand-off between McCain Foods and increasingly militant potato growers continued as both sides refused to back down yesterday.McCain Foods told grower representatives they would not continue talks until the tractor barricade was removed from the factory’s delivery gates.In a heated debate, farmers voted to tell the company the tractors would stay put until a reasonable price was achieved for this year’s crop of potatoes.Potato farmers have been protesting at the gates of McCain Foods since Monday after the company lowered the price for their potatoes by $26.50 a tonne from last year. Yesterday morning the growers’ representatives, McCain senior management and Ballarat police met to discuss safety issues around the blockade.McCain Growers Group chairman Dominic Prendergast said the farmers agreed to remove any blockade from the driveway of the company’s car park.However, he and fellow representatives were unable to sway the farmers to remove the barricade from in front of the delivery driveway.With no potato deliveries made to McCain Foods for the past two days, Mr Prendergast said the rumoured 28 containers of potatoes said to be heading to McCain’s from Tasmania had not materialised.He said only freezer vans had been stopped at the entrance of the company.“I’m 100 per cent confident no potatoes are currently coming from Tasmania,” Mr Prendergast said.He said McCain Foods had given an assurance no potatoes would be brought in while the protesters were still present so long as the blockade was removed.When asked how long he thought the protest would continue for, Mr Prendergast said: “As long as it takes.”A Eureka flag flew from one of the tractors parked in the barricade.“McCain’s have to realise they’re in Ballarat now, not in Canada,” one grower said.With the stalemate continuing into yesterday afternoon several members of the McCain Growers Group met with Agriculture and Food Security Minister Peter Walsh last night at Parliament House in Melbourne.McCain Growers Group’s Norm Suckling, Russell McKay, Luke Molloy and Tony Toohey were hoping to get some support from the minister for their cause.