Farmers will protest in Westminster with their tractors on Wednesday, as the Government insists its support for the sector is “steadfast”.
Hundreds of farmers are expected to bring their machines to the streets around Parliament as Sir Keir Starmer faces Prime Minister’s Questions as rural communities continued to express anger over changes to inheritance tax.
The “RIP British Farming” protest has been organised by Kent Fairness for Farmers and Save British Farming in response to the “toxic” Budget, which included changes to inheritance tax for agricultural businesses and a faster phaseout of EU-era subsidies in favour of environmental payments.
After 13,000 people rallied in Westminster against the Budget last month, tractors are expected to travel into the capital from across the country, including from Exmoor, Shropshire, Somerset and the home counties, for the latest protest.
Our commitment to farmers is steadfast and our message to farmers is clear, that is why we provided £5 billion to the farming budget over two years
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.
The protest comes as the Government publishes a report on Wednesday analysing the state of UK food security.
And MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee will hear from countryside and farming leaders and financial experts on the impacts of the changes to inheritance tax.
Ahead of the protest, the Environment Department (Defra) said it had put £343 million into the rural economy last week, in payments for nature-friendly farming activities, benefiting more than 31,000 farmers.
Defra also announced new details of its environmental land management schemes, which pay farmers for “public goods” ranging from healthy soil, rivers and hedgerows, to habitat creation and large-scale nature restoration work.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed insisted “our commitment to farmers is steadfast”, as he said the cash was part of a £5 billion two-year farming budget which was “the largest ever directed at sustainable food production in our country’s history”.
His comments echoed those of Downing Street ahead of the protest on Wednesday.
Asked if Sir Keir was concerned farmers could get more militant and restrict food supplies, a spokesman for the PM said: “We have been very clear we are not going to change course on this policy.
“It was necessary to take tough decisions at the Budget and the spending review and those decisions remain.
“But our commitment to farmers is steadfast and our message to farmers is clear, that is why we provided £5 billion to the farming budget over two years including more money than ever for sustainable food production.”
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.
