Farmers stage tractor rally in York to demand fair treatment
© Jonny Walton Farmers from across North Yorkshire staged a lively tractor rally in York city centre, demanding fairer policies and protesting proposed changes to inheritance tax.
The rally was organised by seven Yorkshire-based farmers – Steve Ridsdale, Anna Longthorp, Katie and Graham Stephenson, Simon Craven, Richard Bramley and Angus Gowthorpe.
About 145 tractors assembled and met at York Auction Centre where farmers gave speeches to an assembled crowd.
See also: Tractors take over London as farmers ramp up protests
At about 10.20am, the tractors headed into York city centre where many carried out two circuits of the city inner ring road, greeted by cheers and applause from the public.
A small group of tractors assembled outside York Minster where TV crews and press carried out a photo shoot and interviews with farmers.
After the rally finished, farmers returned to the livestock auction centre in the early afternoon where they discussed the event, had some lunch and then dispersed.
Farmers had travelled across Yorkshire to take part in the rally, including from Leeds, Ilkley, Wakefield, Pontefract, Doncaster, Holderness, east of Hull, Scarborough and Helmsley.
“Farmers were chuffed to bits with the public support and were saying they had to come to raise awareness of the difficulties’ they face and keep the pressure on the government,” said Mr Ridsdale, a mixed farmer who farms at Bielby, near Pocklington.
“Farmers are being hammered from all sides at the moment, including reduced farm support, pausing of capital grants, fertiliser taxes, and the ‘final straw’ being changes to agricultural property relief.”
Food bank donation
The farmers collected £1,023 and York Auction Centre made a donation to bring the total to £1,200, which will be presented to York Foodbank on Tuesday 16 December at the auction centre.
The peaceful rally passed off without incident and was held in full cooperation with North Yorkshire Police.
Large-scale farmer demos protesting against government policy were also held in London and Cardiff on Wednesday.