Hundreds of farmers staged tractor protests on Friday, with go-slow drives attempting to disrupt supermarket supply chains in “a warning shot” to Sir Keir Starmer
Dozens of local groups took to the roads as they called for the Government to scrap its inheritance tax raid, which they say will “cripple” farming.
Organisers said their protests would “escalate”, threatening to “hit hard” by targeting docks or staging more action in London if the Government continued to refuse to engage with farmers’ unions.
In Northwich, Cheshire, a distribution centre for Morrisons was the target of nearly 50 tractors on Friday. Lorries were held up in the traffic created by the protest, organised by the group Farmers to Action.
Elsewhere, 80 tractors assembled at Thruxton Race course, in Hampshire, and began a three-hour slow protest drive along the A303.
Protests also took place in the High Peak towns of Derbyshire. Organisers warned that “blood will boil” if the Government continued to ignore their concerns. More go-slows took place in Dorset, Devon, Cornwall, Lincolnshire and Berkshire.
Sue Flower, a 63-year-old dairy farmer who helped coordinate the protest, said: “That’s going to be hard to contain and it will escalate.
“We don’t want to, but we will have to hit hard. It might be the docks, it might be in London – it’s going to be disruptive. They say farmers can’t strike, but we’ll see if they don’t engage with us. We’ll see.”
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Another distribution centre in Northampton was targeted by Phillip Weston, a fellow organiser, who said the go-slow convoy was a “warning shot” about what could happen in the future, with farmers needing to “stand up for themselves”.
Protesters received support from members of the public, who turned out in their dozens to brave the cold and cheer them on.
Other planned tractor protests at supermarkets have been scheduled by other groups next week, while the National Farmers’ Union plans a day of action, particularly targeting Labour seats, later this month.
02:46 PM GMT
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02:18 PM GMT
IHT tax is a ‘land grab’
Phillip Weston, 39, who organised the go-slow convoy at a food distribution centre in Northampton, labelled Labour’s inheritance tax raid as a “land grab”.
The fifth generation arable farmer, whose family have been on the site since 1820, said: “This is purely a land grab situation in order to build housing.
“That is the long term goal of the Government.
“Unfortunately it is about a land grab and a green-planning agenda.”
He also criticised the Government for spending more money on “foreign farms” while not supporting their own.
“We have got a Government that cannot bring itself to admit they got it wrong,” he added.
“It’s very scary times.”
02:10 PM GMT
Blood will boil if we are not listened to, say organisers
Sue Flower, who helped organise today’s Derbyshire protests, warned things would escalate if the Labour government continued to refuse to meet with farmers’ unions.
“I think they have got a narrative not to engage with us,” the 63-year-old dairy farmer said.
“For too long we have been pushed from one thing to another – from pillar to post.”
She said she “couldn’t remember” the last time a Government “got behind its farming”.
“If they do not engage with us soon, there is going to be blood boiling over,” she continued.
“That’s going to be hard to contain and it will escalate.
“We don’t want to, but we will have to hit hard.
“It might be the docks, it might be in London – it’s going to be disruptive.
“They say farmers can’t strike but we’ll see if they don’t engage with us – we’ll see.”
01:53 PM GMT
In pictures: Protesting farmers take to the road
01:43 PM GMT
IHT will deprive Britons of fresh, local produce
Adam Brown, a 37-year-old dairy farmer in Cheshire, warned the tax raid will put smaller farms out of business.
As a result, the father-of-one said consumers will be deprived of “fresh, local” produce, Jacob Freedland reports.
“[Supermarkets] are going to have to be buying in,” he said.
“There’ll be nothing that’s local and fresh.
“You can import food, but that’s going to come at a cost and you don’t know what you’re buying in half the time.”
Charlie Frith, 24, a fifth generation dairy farmer, explained: “It’ll only be the massive farms that will be able to afford land prices here.”
01:21 PM GMT
Supporters brave the cold to back farmers
Ian Sharratt, 73, an arable and sheep farmer from the Hampshire village of Barton Stacey said of the inheritance tax: “It is not good is it, it is just not good, markets are down.
On Sir Keir, he said: “Not so good is it, nothing is doing, nothing is happening.
“Everything is against us at the moment.”
Mr Sharratt is one of approximately two dozen supporters who are braving the bitingly cold temperatures on a bridge above the A303 to support the slow drive, Max Stephens reports.
Dave Griffin, 73, a semi retired business owner who runs a chimney sweep company, said: “I heard they were coming down, I think it is a good cause, to give them some support.
“They are having some hard times.”
Terry Dewey, an 81-year-old part time pall bearer and former tractor salesman from the same village, said: “It is such a shame this is happening, it is terrible.
“They [farmers] work seven days a week, 24 hours, they hardly ever go on holiday.
“Shame this has happened, dare I say with the Labour government.
“It is great to see the guys pulling together, they are doing it in a sensible way, they will. Provided nothing silly happens, they will get the country’s support.”
01:02 PM GMT
Northampton protest is a ‘warning shot’
Phillip Weston, 39, has helped organise a go-slow convoy around a local centre that covers most of the midlands food distribution for a couple of mainstream supermarkets.
The arable farmer said it would provide an “insight” into the future impact of supermarkets not being able to supply the public.
“It is to bring awareness when the lorries stop delivering out of these places, the food doesn’t reach the shelves,” he said.
“That is a sign of things to come when food doesn’t reach the centres from us – it’s a warning shot.”
He said none of the dozens of farmers there wanted to be, but felt they had to “stand up for themselves”.
12:42 PM GMT
Farmers call for ‘death tax’ to be abolished
In Hampshire, the convoy is slowly making its way along the A303, Max Stephens reports.
Some tractors are flying Union Jack flags from their vehicles, while others are displaying anti-Labour posters and placards.
One poster on the side of a tractor reads ‘Strong Together, British Farming Forever’.
Another tractor had a fake coffin hoisted on the back of the vehicle with the words underneath ‘RIP farmers Abolish the Death Tax.’
Therese Pitt, a local supporter from Thruxton, who is waiting on top of a bridge for the convoy, said: “British food for British people and that needs British farmers.
“I want as many farmers as possible, big farmers and small farmers.
“We should be self sufficient.
“I do not think humanity has covered itself in glory.”
On Sir Keir, she added: “I would not vote for him.”
12:31 PM GMT
Morrisons staff take pictures of protesting tractors
Morrisons’ security staff are taking pictures of the tractors involved in the go-slow protest, writes Jacob Freedland.
Staff guarding the entrance to the Gadbrook Logistics centre off the A530 were also overheard saying: “There’s nothing we can do. They’re not stopping so it’s not illegal.”
One security officer said the situation was improving, with lorries able to enter and exit the centre more easily than at the beginning of the slow drive.
The supermarket has been contacted for comment.
12:23 PM GMT
Watch: Farmers take to the road in Berkshire
12:20 PM GMT
Farmer won’t be able pass farm onto his daughters
A father-of-two whose dairy farm has been in the family for over 60 years has said he won’t be able to pass the business down to his daughters if Labour’s tax raid goes ahead, Jacob Freedland writes.
Ryan Brown, 31, said: “It would be nice if they could come into the business, but the way things are going it’s not going to be possible.
“My grandma bought the farm in 1961 and we’ve grown it into a family farm.
“There’s 19 of us that work here. But if the tax goes ahead, it’s going to put a lot of these people out of a job.”
12:11 PM GMT
Pictured: Farmers leave Thruxton Race Circuit, Hampshire
11:58 AM GMT
Tax change will ‘cripple farming’
Tom Trueman is an eighth generation farmer, whose beef and lamb farm in Buckfastleigh, Devon, has been in the family for 360 years.
The 41-year-old has helped coordinates protest efforts in Devon, where dozens of tractors will be travelling in opposite directions up and down the A38 in another go-slow drive.
“Our message is to reverse this inheritance tax,” he said.
“It is going to cripple farming and other industries. What Labour did was very sneaky with the 50 per cent relief because farmers’ profit margins are so slim.
“They’re trying to force farmland to national ownership or sell it on to private companies.”
The protest on the A38 – which goes down to a single carriageway in some places – is set to last up to three hours and will see tractors limited to 15mph (24 kilometres per hour).
11:43 AM GMT
Locals show farmers in Hampshire support
We are currently on an icy bridge overlooking the A303 waiting for the convoy of tractors to appear, Max Stephens reports.
A steady stream of appreciative honks can be heard from lorry drivers and motorists passing underneath in solidarity with the protest.
The series of bridges lining the A303 is peppered with those sympathetic to the cause, including a group of Reform supporters.
Nigel Farage, the party leader, has been a common sight in previous Westminster rallies.
Sausage rolls are being handed out by organisers to families, friends and supporters who are turning out on bridges in support of the slow drive.
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11:36 AM GMT
Derbyshire farmers ‘aren’t going to sit back’
Sue Flower is organising a group of up to 50 tractors in another go-slow drive through the High Peak towns of Derbyshire.
The dairy farmer said Labour’s IHT raid had pushed farmers “over the edge” but that the peaceful protest was needed to show the group’s feeling.
Mrs Flower, 63, said: “We want to get a message to Labour, we aren’t going to sit back.
“They won’t engage with us. We will carry on trying to reach out to get listened to.”
She added: “They have got it wrong, they’ve got it so, so wrong.
“Agriculture is the only industry we’ve got left that isn’t foreign owned – we need to save it.
11:28 AM GMT
IHT will ‘destroy farming’
Marie Dyke, 60, and Susan Cooper, 79, are among a number of local supporters who have turned out for the rally, writes Max Stephens.
Ms Dyke, who watched as the convoy left the race circuit and trundled towards the dual carriageway said of Sir Keir Starmer’s administration: “I have not spoken to one person who is happy with them.
“They are not like a Labour Party, the Labour Party is for the people.
“People think farmers are well off. [The tax] will destroy farming if they do that.
“Most people I speak to feel the same way.”
Ms Cooper, who also attended the recent rallies in Westminster with Ms Dyke added: “I am not happy with them.”
11:13 AM GMT
Hampshire farmers setting off
The convoy are now leaving Thruxton Race Course and are setting off on their slow drive along the A303, writes Max Stephens.
The farmers jovially beeped their horns towards a small throng of supporters as they passed through the gates.
‘Farmers rise against Labour Lies’, read one poster adorning the front of a tractor.
‘Back British Farming and the Farmers Will Back You,’ read another.
Kurt Morton, addressing the group with a megaphone before their departure, said: “I know we are going to upset a couple of people but we’re not here for them, we’re here for us.”
He reminded farmers to pull over to the left in case police cars or ambulances needed to get past.
The convoy will travel along the A303 towards Basingstoke at a speed of approximately 10 mph (17 kilometres per hour).
11:07 AM GMT
Support for Cheshire protest
Motorists appear to be supportive of the farmers’ protest despite the slowed traffic, Jacob Freedland writes.
Drivers have flashed lights and honked horns as gestures of support.
One driver of a Morrisons’ vehicle – who had been slowed by the farmers’ convoy – even gave a thumbs up to one of the tractors involved in the protest.
Adam Brown, 37-year-old dairy farmer, said: “It’s good to see the support we’re getting from the general public.
“We’re not trying to target them. I’d like to think most of them agree with us.
“The country needs farms, not just for food but to protect the environment.
10:54 AM GMT
Ministers are ‘totally disconnected’ from farmers
Chris Marchment said his farm, which has been in his family for 100 years, is now facing a £650,000 tax bill from Labour’s tax reforms, writes Max Stephens.
The father-of-two and fifth generation arable farmer, who runs Foxcotte Farm about a mile away from the Hampshire rally, said: “Nothing is off the table.
“We will fight this the whole way.”
He said ministers in Westminster were “totally disconnected” from the difficulties the nation’s farmers are facing and added: “It brings me to tears.”
Paul Barret, a Reform UK candidate for Romsey and former paratrooper, who has turned up in support for the farmers, said: “I come from a farming background.
“It is not only farmers who are being hurt by the inheritance tax but local businesses. They work hard and feed the nation.”
Asked if he had a message for Sir Keir Starmer, he said: “Step down and call a general election.”
Mr Barrett, who is enjoying a warm reception among the farmers, said he intends to meet with a group of Reform supporters on a bridge overlooking the A303 as the tractors slowly rumble along underneath.
A livestock trailer with the words ‘Axe The Tax’ emblazoned on the side has turned up alongside the host of tractors.
10:49 AM GMT
Convoy of tractors roll out in Cheshire
Around 50 farmers and 40 tractors have started a go-slow protest in Northwich, Cheshire, Jacob Freedland writes.
They are planning to disrupt trucks distributing goods from a Morrisons centre by driving slowly for three hours along the A530.
Stewart Whitlow, who works for a machinery dealership and is leading the group, said: “Farmers simply can’t afford this hit because they don’t get paid enough.
“We’re trying to prove the necessity of the agriculture sector, that farmers are the ones putting food on the table.
“This is just the start. It’s going to get bigger and bigger.”
10:44 AM GMT
Farmers congregate in Hampshire for protest
Around a hundred farmers and 80 tractors have assembled at Thruxton Race Course in Hampshire, writes Max Stephens.
The farmers intend a three hour long slow protest drive along the A303.
Kurt Morton, an arable farmer and representative for the group, said: “We do not want to come out and do this but it is last resort.
“The public are behind us they are fed up with being left out of pocket.
“We are not out to hurt anybody.
“We are not militant people, we are not like the French but we cannot carry on like this.
“We are still being paid what we were being paid 30 years ago.”
10:30 AM GMT
What is expected today?
Dozens of local groups are planning go-slow tractor drives through towns, villages and main roads, with some targeting retail distribution centres.
Centres in Cheshire and Northampton are likely to be impacted.
Those coordinating the efforts have dubbed them a “warning shot” to show the impact of a future without farming.
Protests are also planned in Dorset, Hampshire, Devon, Cornwall, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire, with things set to kick off at 10.30am.
Organisers have warned action could ramp up in following weeks if the Government continue to refuse to engage.
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10:28 AM GMT
Why are farmers protesting?
Hundreds of farmers are today protesting in what is the latest move against Labour’s inheritance tax raid.
Under the changes implemented by Rachel Reeves in last year’s Budget, farms worth more than £1 million will be subject to a 20 per cent levy, half the usual inheritance tax rate.
The new rules are set to come into force from April 2026.
However, rural groups have argued that the £1million threshold will hit the majority of working family farms, which are asset-rich but cash-poor, instead of targeting wealthy landowners seeking to avoid inheritance tax.
This has sparked several high profile rallies in London and elsewhere across the UK.
Today marks the first coordinated protest of 2025 as farmers push for the Government to scrap the policy.
10:27 AM GMT
Welcome to the blog
Good morning and welcome to our coverage of today’s protests against Labour’s inheritance tax raid.
