The Price of Protest

What It Took for Farmers to Stand Up for British Food

It’s been over a week since 1,400 tractors rolled into Westminster, a sight that should have sent a message loud and clear: British farmers will not be ignored.

On Monday, 10th February, Parliament debated a petition calling for the government to halt changes to inheritance tax relief for farms. At the time of the protest, the petition had over 148,000 signatures—today, it has surpassed 151,000.

Sign the petition: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/700138

The rally was organised by Save British Farming, with farmers from across the country making the journey to stand up for the future of British agriculture. The group’s leader, Liz Webster, has been outspoken in her criticism of government policies that undermine British farmers:

“The new Agriculture Act effectively ditched UK animal welfare and environmental standards for imported food. Now, through poorly negotiated trade deals with countries like Australia and New Zealand, we will see our market flooded with cheap, low-quality products that will destroy Britain’s world-class farming industry.”

Why Farmers Took to the Streets

On the surface, the fight over inheritance tax relief might seem like an issue that only concerns wealthy landowners. But this is about so much more than tax policy—this is about:

• The survival of small, family-run farms

• British food security & self-sufficiency

• Protecting high-welfare, sustainable farming

• Preventing farmland from being lost to developers or factory farms

The policies being pushed threaten to drive small farmers out of business, pave the way for factory farming, and open the floodgates to cheap, low-welfare imports. The simple truth is: once we lose our farmers, we don’t get them back.

Arable farmer Tom Janaway, who brought his tractor to the protest, summed it up:

"I wouldn't have missed the protest for the world. I don’t believe it will necessarily change anything, but I knew I had to be there regardless."

Farmers know the fight won’t be won in a single day—but turning up was essential.

The True Cost of Protest

Many outside of farming don’t understand what it takes to bring a tractor to Westminster. It’s not like hopping on a train and waving a placard—it’s an enormous financial and logistical sacrifice.

For every hour spent protesting, farmers were away from their land and livestock. Many had to hire relief workers, and those bringing tractors into the city faced congestion charges, ULEZ fees, fuel costs, and machinery depreciation.

Some even had to hire low loaders to transport their tractors long distances. Others hired tractors because they couldn’t afford to take their own—but were determined to send a strong message to the government.

This is the reality: Farmers aren’t rolling in money. They don’t do this for fun. They are fighting for survival.

"Between Keir Starmer’s remarks after the Milton Keynes protest and the Treasury’s refusal to engage, it feels like a deliberate attack on farming. There’s no other good reason for it. This is a direct hit on the future of family farms." – Tom Janaway

The Milton Keynes Protest – A Divided Industry?

Farming is often a divided industry. We all have different opinions on how food should be produced—organic vs. conventional, rotational livestock vs. chemical fertilisers, supermarket contracts vs. direct farm gate sales.

But for a moment, inheritance tax changes united us. It didn’t matter if you were a smallholder selling direct to consumers or a larger-scale farm supplying supermarkets—this was an attack on all family farms. And for a time, the industry stood together.

At least, that’s what I thought—until Save British Farming publicly distanced itself from a protest in Milton Keynes just days after the Westminster rally.

The group Farmers to Action had disrupted Keir Starmer’s visit to a housing project with a small tractor demonstration, and Save British Farming rushed to release a statement denying involvement.

(Link to Save British Farming’s statement on X: https://x.com/SaveBritishFood/status/1890038241501253715)

To me, this was a poor show of unity. The heart of this fight is food security—and while we might have different agendas, we must not lose sight of the bigger picture. Divided, we weaken our cause.

“It’s a difficult situation because, at the time, I understood why Tom Bradshaw condemned the Milton Keynes protest—he had an important meeting with the Treasury coming up, and I can see why he didn’t want to jeopardise it." – Tom Janaway

But what happened next proved why unity was so important.

Keir Starmer’s Attack on Farmers

Just days after the Westminster protest and the Milton Keynes demonstration, Keir Starmer made a shocking statement in an interview with Sky News:

"Do they prefer their waiting lists to come down, do they want their mortgages to come down and the economy to start working again for everyone – that is what we are trying to achieve – or do we want to keep a tax break for farmers? You cannot have both."

This deliberate attack painted farmers as privileged landowners, ignoring the reality that most family farms are barely surviving.

"Every single ambulance driving out of London after the rally had paramedics giving us double thumbs up out the window. That was an incredible sight. I don’t believe NHS workers agree with Keir Starmer’s comments. He was just being bitter—it was a pointless attack." – Tom Janaway

The Treasury Meeting: A Failed Attempt at Compromise

Following the protest, NFU President Tom Bradshaw and other farming leaders met with Treasury officials to propose an alternative approach to inheritance tax reform.

Instead of an immediate 20% tax, IHT would only apply if farmland was sold within seven years.

Despite being a fair and practical proposal, the Treasury refused to engage.

“The treasury were arrogant enough to say: ‘We have done all the thinking.’ It was the most unproductive meeting in my 28 years at the TFA.” – George Dunn, Chief Executive of Tenant Farmers Association

"After the London tractor rally, we were invited to meet with the Treasury. I thought this was a huge achievement—this is exactly what we wanted. But after all that, they’re still not listening." – Tom Janaway

What Happens Next? The Fight Continues

The Westminster protest was just the beginning. Farmers will return to London on March 4th, and the government must not be allowed to ignore us.

How You Can Help

• Buy direct from farmers—support farm shops, markets, and independent butchers.

• Speak up—write to your MP and tell them you support fair policies for farmers.

• Reject cheap, low-welfare imports—choose British food whenever you can.

• Join us in London on March 4th—if you can’t be there, share and support those who are.

If we lose our farmers, we lose our ability to produce food—leaving our countryside vulnerable to mass factory farms.

The fight isn’t just for farmers—it’s for food sovereignty, rural communities, and the future of British food.