City Harvest provides 15,000 meals from farming rally donations

British farmers have demonstrated their generosity and commitment to feeding the nation by donating 6.6t of high-quality produce during their mass rally in London.

The donations, organised in partnership with London food charity City Harvest, will provide 15,400 nutritious meals for those in need.

The protest, held in Westminster on Tuesday, 19 November, saw farmers rally against planned changes to inheritance tax (IHT) on agricultural assets.

See also: Food bank ‘overwhelmed’ by farmer food donations

Alongside their calls for policy reform, farmers arrived with wheelbarrows brimming with fresh British produce, from cauliflowers and potatoes to flour, fruit, vegetables, meat and milk.

Even British Sugar joined the effort, contributing 1t of sugar.

City Harvest says it plans to distribute the food donations to more than 400 food banks, soup kitchens, and hostels across London.

Charity ‘honoured’

Its CEO Sarah Calcutt praised the farmers’ initiative, saying: “We were honoured to ensure every donation was safely received and handled with as much care as the time and skill spent producing it.”

The charity’s team was overwhelmed by the scale of donations, with lorries and vans filled to capacity. “Everybody has been kind enough to carry a lot of the food to the vans for us,” said City Harvest helper Richard Barker.

Organisers of the London rally, including farmers Olly Harrison and Andrew Ward, asked participants to bring food donations to showcase the vital role of British agriculture in feeding the nation and bolstering the economy.

Their gesture highlighted the challenges farmers face amid controversial tax reforms while reinforcing farmers’ deep-rooted commitment to supporting the country’s most vulnerable.