Hundreds of tractors expected to descend on Westminster in farming protest

Hundreds of tractors are expected to descend on Westminster this week in an “RIP British Farming” protest.

It comes after the Government announced changes to agricultural inheritance tax in October’s Budget, which rally organisers Kent Fairness for Farmers and Save British Farming described as “toxic”.

The groups said a tractor protest took place last March to highlight the “existential threats” to the UK’s farming, but “none” of the issues have been solved and the Budget proposal “spells the death knell” for the industry.

Farmers have reacted with anger and dismay to the inheritance tax changes for farming businesses, which limit the existing 100% relief for farms to the first £1 million of combined agricultural and business property.

Last month an estimated 13,000 people gathered in Westminster to protest against the Budget’s impact on farming, with composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, TV personality Jeremy Clarkson and leading politicians Kemi Badenoch, Sir Ed Davey and Nigel Farage among them.

On Wednesday, tractors are expected to travel into the capital from across the country, including from Exmoor, Shropshire, Somerset and the home counties.

The vehicles will line up on Whitehall from 10am, there will be speeches at noon and a slow drive around central London from about 12.45pm.

Founder of Save British Farming, Liz Webster, said: “This anti-farming Stalinist offensive from the Labour Government presents a real danger to us all, we rely on food to survive.

“Losing the ability to feed ourselves means a total loss of control, we learnt hard lessons in the last two world wars about the fact that food security is national security.

“(Prime Minister Sir) Keir Starmer must listen to farmers and step back from the brink and do what is right and best for our great country.”

Jeff Gibson, founder of Kent Fairness For Farmers, said: “In most cases we are happy and immensely proud to provide food without any real financial gain, in the hope we can pass our farms, which we’ve worked so hard to protect and care for, to the next generation.

“The questions I ask you today are what future does farming have? Can we really expect the next generation to start their farming careers paying 10 years of tax burden because we died?

“My message to this government is I am happy to pay any tax to contribute to society like everyone else, but I can’t do that now with both arms tied behind my back.”