Farmers plans to wake up Westminster with tractor rally

Farmers are planning to drive tractors to Westminster to protest against cheap food imports, and demand politicians protect high British food standards in trade deals and act to save food security.

Campaign group Save British Farming (SBF) is partnering with the Kent-based Farmers for Fairness group for the tractor demonstration on Monday 25 March in central London.

Plans are already being made for farmers to drive dozens of tractors and farm vehicles to the capital for a 6pm start on the day.

See also: Kent farmers stage tractor protest over food imports

Liz Webster, founder of Save British Farming, who farms with her husband in Wiltshire, told Farmers Weekly the main aims of the rally:

• To lobby the government to ditch trade deals with Australia and New Zealand which are “a bad deal for British farming and farmers”
• To pressure the House of Parliament to introduce legislation to ensure that supermarkets can no longer have contracts that pay producers below the cost of production
• To demand the government deliver a food plan to protect and bolster domestic food security.

Mrs Webster said: “I believe that most farmers in Britain share these goals and I would encourage farmers who have had enough of being taken for granted to get on their tractor and join us.”

Save British Farming, in conjunction with the think tank Open Britain, has launched an online petition urging political action to protect British farmers and food standards.

Mrs Webster urged farmers to sign the petition and contribute to the crowd funder to enable the campaign organisers to buy posters, placards and lights to decorate their tractors for the day to allow them to promote their messages to the British public.

The Save British Farming group was the first ever pro-farming campaign group to take tractors to Westminster, back in July 2020.

Kent farmer action

Fairness for Farmers is campaigning for three aims: more protection for British farmers against substandard food imports, more honest food labelling and greater food security.

In the past few weeks, the group has staged several protests in Kent, the latest of which saw 240 tractors rally in Canterbury on Sunday 3 March.

Some farmers who attended the rally said they felt emotional at seeing the support of the public as they drove around the streets of Canterbury.

David Catt, who farms a market garden south of Maidstone, took part in the Canterbury rally, which he organised alongside farmers Matt Cullen, Jeffrey Gibson, Richard Ash and Trevor Bradley.

© Fairness for Farmers

He said: “The support from the public was incredible. It was eye-watering. The police were very supportive of what we were doing.

“We were trying to get our message out about our concerns for the farming industry in Kent.”

Mr Catt will be travelling to London for the rally on 25 March with hundreds of other farmers.

He said: “We haven’t got a food policy in this country. Now the CAP has gone, the government is trying to push the environmental agenda, which is fair enough.

“But we need to ensure our farmers are paid fairly to produce enough food to feed the nation. Otherwise, our country could be held to ransom on food, which we have already seen with gas, oil and energy.”

Further events

The groups are looking into staging further events, including a social media campaign and rallies across the country with guest speakers to continue to spread their campaign messages and concerns about food security to the public.

From 6pm on 15 March, people will be able to sign up on Eventbrite to attend the event. Anyone who wants to get involved or needs more information can also get in touch by emailing savebritishfarming@gmail.com.