Farmers to protest in two weeks without government action

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Tractors parked next to Cenotaph on London, in Farmers protest

Source: Getty Images

Farmers For Action this week threatened the government with mass farming protests if there was no movement on tax or fuel

A wave of farmer protests could sweep the UK within weeks unless the government intervenes on rapidly rising fuel costs triggered by the Iran war.

Farmers For Action this week threatened the government with mass protests if there was no action on fuel price inflation and concessions on taxation, stressing “we can’t afford to feed you anymore”.

The Northern Ireland-based group said it had garnered support from farming organisations across the UK to consider a UK-wide tax and fuel protest.

“There is huge concern that current policies are failing to address the pressures facing key sectors of the UK economy,” said William Taylor, FFA coordinator.

“Currently it has been agreed to wait and watch over the coming days with reference to fuel prices and government’s reactions to the plight that family farmers, SMEs, the haulage industry and the UK’s workforce finds themselves in,” he added.

Fuel prices have soared in recent weeks with red diesel, used in farm vehicles, more than doubling in price, from 60p per litre before the US/Israel war with Iran started at the end of February to an average of 135p per litre now. Red diesel is also subject to a tax of 10p per litre.

Taylor told The Grocer the group – first established during the fuel protests of 2000 – had sent requests to government on Monday to “sit down and talk to us” and that it would give the government a fortnight to respond.

However, he added there were concerns about how the situation in the Middle East would deteriorate in the next fortnight, particularly on fuel availability.

“We shall monitor the situation and then make our decision to move on that basis,” he said.

Protests against the soaring cost of fuel have already broken out in the Republic of Ireland, with demonstrators blocking fuel depots for nearly a week – prompting the Irish government to announce €505m-worth of fuel-cost measures, including temporary fuel duty cuts, on Sunday.

Today, slow-moving tractors were also causing disruption across Northern Ireland over rising energy bills.

The concerns FFA have go beyond the current conflict, however. Taylor said the organisation was calling on the government to reverse general tax policy to where it was before Labour took office.

“People are taxed to death in farming and otherwise,” he added. “If [the government] don’t listen, it’s time that they were out of office.”

Fears over the impact the Middle East conflict could have on farming were echoed by an NFU spokesperson, who said the situation – which escalated further yesterday with a US blockade of Iranian ports – was “deeply concerning”.

“The resulting disruption to global oil and gas markets is putting a significant strain on farmers and growers, who are already under immense economic pressure and can’t absorb additional increases in costs,” they added.

However, the NFU stressed it would not be supporting protests that “have the potential to inconvenience the public and further disrupt supply chains”.

Liz Webster, farmer and founder of Save British Farming, added that her campaign group would also not be supporting protests despite the “serious” situation with “costs spiralling”.

For many farmers, producing food was “becoming unaffordable as fuel and fertiliser costs surge”, she added.

“The UK is in a weaker position post-Brexit, and the lack of government support is irresponsible. But protests that disrupt the public risk backfiring, we need to win this through clear, positive campaigning that builds pressure where it matters.”