Video: Farmers wake up Westminster with lively tractor rally

Dozens of fed-up farmers drove their tractors to Westminster to send a stark message to MPs and civil servants – stop killing our livelihoods and start backing British farming.

A convoy of 100 tractors and other farm vehicles converged on Westminster for the “go-slow” protest during rush hour on Monday 25 March, bringing traffic to a standstill.

Organisers Save British Farming (SBF) and Fairness for Farmers of Kent held the rally for three key asks – that government acts to block substandard imports, ends “dishonest” food labelling and takes action to address fears over national food security.

See also: MPs slammed for dismal turnout at food security debate

Farmers and supporters travelled from Kent, Sussex, Leicestershire and as far away as Lincolnshire and Northern Ireland to take part in the tractor rally to “wake up Westminster” to the plight of British farmers and ancillary industries.

Tractors were emblazoned with Union flags, lights and signs carrying slogans including, “Stop Killing Farming!”, “No Farming, No Food, No Future” and “Save UK Food Security”.

The loud and lively convoy belted out music including the Star Wars theme tune and Baby Shark.

‘I felt like a rock star’ – farmer

Berkshire farmer Colin Rayner travelled in a group of three tractors from Berkshire to take part in the rally. He described the support for farmers from the public as “incredible”.

He said: “I cannot believe the warm welcome London gave us. People were running out of their offices and hanging out of balconies to cheer us.

“The taxi drivers were beeping their horns, cyclists were giving us their thumbs up. Parents were taking their children out of cars to see us. The police were fantastic too.

“It felt like being a rock star and I have never been a rock star.”

Asked why he decided to participate in the rally, Mr Rayner told Farmers Weekly: “I just think that the political classes have got the environment wrong. They keep blaming farmers for one-third of the environmental harm in the world. It’s unsafe science and it’s wrong.

“Let me go to bed with two of my cows in the garage and you can go to bed with two of your diesel cars running and we can discuss the environment in the morning.”

Mr Rayner also blasted Defra farming policy for prioritising the environment over food production.

“They are paying farmers under the SFI [Sustainable Farming Incentive] to grow flowers. They should be paying us to grow healthy food for the nation instead,” he said.

Young farmers ‘fighting for future’

Young farmer Ellice Johnson, who travelled from Biggin Hill, Romley, said: “It is so important to make sure our farms and our futures in the UK, as young farmers and everyone else, are secure – and that the government supports us.”

Liz Webster, founder of Save British Farming, said: “The London rally was the most fantastic and glorious experience. My heartfelt thanks goes to the public, police and the media for their support.

“I’m delighted that we dominated the news with our call to save the British farming industry, which is under extreme duress.”

Mrs Webster added: “The most important thing now is that our message and cry for help with be heard. Let’s hope that things change.”

Looking ahead, the organisers are planning a rally with guest speakers and a new social media food labelling campaign to call out supermarket foods produced abroad that are packaged with the Union flag and masquerade as British.

In England, farmer demonstrations have taken place in Kent and Cornwall, but Monday’s tractor rally in London was on a much bigger level.

Thousands of angry Welsh farmers have held protests against new farm support plans proposed by the Welsh Labour government.

It comes after months of similar protests by farmers across the Continent, including in France, Germany, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands, against EU green rules, red tape and cheap food imports undercutting their produce.

William Taylor, Farmers For Action NI co-ordinator, travelled from Northern Ireland to take part in the London farmer demo. 

He said UK and European farmers have had enough of “political and food corporate fudge”.

“It is time for a change of government and time for legislation on farmgate prices to deliver family farmers a minimum of the true cost of production plus a margin inflation linked for their produce, then farmers can sustainably deliver on food security, on the environment and on climate change,” he added.

© Farmers For Action NI

Government response

Defra 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.

“We’ve maintained the £2.4bn annual farming budget and recently set out the biggest ever package of grants which supports farmers to produce food profitably and sustainably.

“We are also looking at ways to further improve fairness in the supply chain, and have launched a consultation to make food labelling fairer, supporting British farmers and growers and ensuring high-quality British produce get the recognition they deserve.”