Police and organisers of a mass protest by angry farmers have been forced to move the event to Westminster because Trafalgar Square is not large enough to accommodate the number of people planning to take part.
The protest, due to take place on November 19, is expected to exceed the 5,000 to 10,000 people originally announced by Farming Forum.
The gathering of people from farming communities across the country is in response to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ controversial decision to introduce a 20 per cent inheritance tax on farmland worth more than £1m for the first time since 1992.
Critics have warned that the new tax will lead to the destruction of family farms, which make up around two-thirds of the UK’s agricultural base. The issue was further fuelled after leading Labour MP John McTernan said the country does not need family farms.
The National Farmers Union (NFU) had planned a small protest of 1,800 people, but given the strength of feeling over the issue, the Farmers Forum organised a much larger protest in nearby Whitehall on the same day.
Organisers say the march will be led by farm children on toy tractors, “symbolising the impact of the devastating Budget on the future of farming and the countryside.”
Protesters are expected to be joined by celebrities, including Jeremy Clarkson, and politicians who will make speeches outside Downing Street. They will also be addressed by NFU president Tom Bradshaw, who has been highly critical of the government’s announcement.
The protest movement is back on
In March, farmers staged protests in central London against cheap agricultural imports, bringing more than 150 pieces of farm machinery to the site.
Through their protests, the farmers expressed their dissatisfaction with the low prices of agricultural products imported into the country, which prevents local entrepreneurs from doing business.
On Wednesday, France’s leading agrarian unions said they were resuming the protest movement. The first stage of the demonstrations will take place on November 18-19. Farmers demand that the French authorities abandon trade deals unfavourable for their own production – in particular, the Mercosur free trade agreement under discussion and the suspension of customs duties on food with Ukraine.
