More than 100 tractors and other farm vehicles drove though Westminster on Monday evening (25 March) as farm groups protested against a lack of political support for food production in the UK.
The event, which was organised by Save British Farming and Fairness for Farmers of Kent say farmers from across the country descend on the capital, where they drove slowly from New Covent Garden through central London. Ben Strickland from West Sussex told the BBC, “I’m a third generation farmer. I’m here for my future. There are multiple nails being put into this coffin built around us.”
Arable farmer Colin Rayner added, “We can’t see it getting any better – yields have plateaued, prices are dismal, our costs for raw materials are horrendous and the regulations that we have every day are mindboggling. We have been farming for 500 years and the government now has a scheme where they will pay us more money to grow wildflowers than to grow food. It is insanity.”
One complaint is that British-grown food is being undercut by imports which are produced to lower standards. These include the controversial deals with New Zealand and Australia, and the CPTPP agreement with 11 countries, including Canada, Japan, and Mexico. Other complaints include a lack of checks on imports and a lack of support for food production. Jeff Gibson, founder of Kent Fairness for Farmers also criticised ‘dishonest labelling.’
Save British Farming founder Liz Webster commented, “Farming is fraught with risks: risks that have intensified every year with the climate emergency, Ukraine war and Brexit reality, which have only served to exacerbate problems.
“Polling shows that the public back British farming and food and want to maintain our high food standards and support local producers. We need a radical change of policy and an urgent exit from these appalling trade deals which will decimate British food.” One change she would like to see is a rule making it illegal for supermarkets to sell food below the cost of production.
Farming minister Mark Spencer said, “We firmly back our farmers. British farming is at the heart of British trade, and we put agriculture at the forefront of any deals we negotiate, prioritising new export opportunities, protecting UK food standards and removing market access barriers” On the same day, Defra announced new rules which will limit the amount of productive land eligible for support under the SFI.
Although there have been sporadic protests around England, including at Dover and Canterbury, this is the largest co-ordinated event in the country so far.