Around 100 tractors took to the streets outside the British parliament on Monday evening as farmers protested green levies and “substandard” food imports “undercutting” British products.
Protestors could be seen holding placards saying “No farmers, no food,” “ban dishonest labelling,” as well as various anti-net zero messages.
“We’ve had enough,” organiser Liz Webster of Save British Farming said. “In 2019, this Government was elected with a mandate to uphold our standards and deliver a ready-made deal with the EU which would see British agriculture boom. It is now entirely obvious that they have totally betrayed us all.”
The farmers say that recent trade deals struck by Britain’s Conservative government have allowed foreign producers to undercut them, potentially flooding the market with poorer quality food made under less stringent regulations. Current regulations even allow products to bear the Union flag even when they have not been grown or reared in the UK.
They also criticise the policy of paying farmers to set aside land for environmental reasons, thus taking that land out of food production.
The British government was last night forced to defend its position. Farming Minister Mark Spencer said: “We firmly back our farmers. British farming is at the heart of British trade, and we put agriculture at the forefront of any deals we negotiate, prioritising new export opportunities, protecting UK food standards and removing market access barriers.”
Monday’s demonstration follows months of similar protests across Europe, including in France, Belgium, Spain, Germany, and Poland, where farmers have taken to the streets to criticise overbearing green regulations and unfair trade deals.
