Video: Farmer etches ‘No Farmers, No Future’ message in soil
As the UK faces increasing threats to its farming industry, one farmer’s stark message to the government is loud and clear – No Farmers, No Future.
The powerful statement was created by George Brown, a mixed organic farmer, made across a 24ha field at Priors Farm in Newbury, Berkshire.
Mr Brown worked for four hours, using GPS mapping in his John Deere 6150R tractor on Thursday 6 March to etch the words “No Farmers, No Future, Food for thought” in the soil.
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The giant message is clearly visible to all under the flight path of Heathrow Airport on the Berkshire Downs.
The message won’t be disappearing any time soon as it will be undersown with legumes, mustard and phacelia and will remain as a cover crop until February 2027.
Wartime contrast
As planes flew overhead, Mr Brown’s words were a visual reminder to government and all of us that the future of farming is not just about preserving the land, but also about ensuring that British farming families can continue to produce food for the nation.
“Without farmers, nobody in society eats,” said Mr Brown, a 43-year-old multi-generational farmer, whose family has been farming for almost 700 years.
“As we approach the 80th anniversary of VE Day on 8 May, it’s striking to consider the contrast: during the world wars, it was illegal for farmers to leave agriculture due to the critical importance of domestic food production. Yet today, farmers in the UK are increasingly unwanted.”
Mr Brown’s message was a direct plea to prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and his Labour government to recognise the urgent importance of British farming and protect it from the many upcoming challenges.
With looming changes in tax policies, particularly the controversial farm inheritance tax set to hit family-run farms hard from April 2026, Mr Brown’s message could not have come at a more critical time.
The NFU and a coalition of other farming organisations have repeatedly warned that the so-called “family farm tax”, announced in chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget, threatens to break the backbone of the UK’s agricultural sector.
The tax, along with other anti-farming policies – such as severe cuts to direct support, increases in employer national insurance and minimum wage rates, and looming tax hikes on fertiliser – threatens the future of family-run farms that have long been the backbone of the nation’s food security.
Gone viral
Jessica Lerwill, a young farmer based at Exmoor Angus Farm, in Exmoor, Devon, travelled to Newbury to film the giant message using her drone.
Ms Lerwill has had more than 70,000 hits on her TikTok account (@exmoor.angus.farm) in less than 12 hours after posting the footage.
She said: “British farmers have been feeding this nation for generations, and now, it feels like we’re being abandoned by this government.
“If we fail to protect our farms now, there may be no future for food security in Britain.”