‘This is our last push’ – East Anglia farmers will again hit the streets
20th January 2025
Farmers from across East Anglia have been called to take part in another farming protest to show their disapproval of the latest governmental policies, including changes to the inheritance tax.
At the end of the last year, tens of farmers took part in a ‘go-slow’ tractor protest on the A14 near the Port of Felixstowe, asking the government to find a “fair solution” for this hard-working industry.
Russel Abbott, one of the organisers of the demonstrations, said: “I personally can’t see the government backing down, but because the Budget is soon going to go through the House of Lords, there is still hope.
“This is our last push before we start getting busy on our farms. The weather is going to be getting better, the land is going to be drying out. We’ve all got a lot of work to do.
“Of course, if we have to do more later, we will. But now we need to put our story out there. There are many angles within farming at the moment, with a lot of upset farmers who worry about their future.
“It seems like the government is targeting farmers and landowners. They’re targeting the countryside people, the working people. We seem to be an easy target. But the money is just not there; we don’t have funds to pay taxes while passing land to another generation.”
READ MORE: GALLERY: Over 50 tractors attend ‘go-slow’ protest in Suffolk
Final straw
Mr Abbott added that the changes to the inheritance tax announced at the Autumn Budget were “the final straw” for the farming industry.
British farmers have already been struggling with a number of issues, including cheap imports from other countries.
He added: “We, British farmers, are probably some of the best farmers in the world. We’re small enough to care about the job and the food we produce. We put lots of time and effort into it. However, the legislation is not making the job easier for us.
“We’re spending a lot of time in the office, more than we have ever done before. It’s not really what farmers should be doing. We want to grow crops for the public, we want to be on site.”
Local farmer John Mitchell reacted to the ongoing issues during the tractor protest on 11th December:
Protest on A14 in Suffolk
The tractor protest will take place on Monday, 3rd February. Farmers are set to meet up at Walk Farm on Felixstowe Road in Levington, Suffolk, from 8 am. The convoy will leave the site at 10 am and will head westbound down the A14 to the sugar beet factory in Bury St Edmunds.
Then the tractors will be coming round, heading back eastbound on the A14 towards Port of Felixstowe Road. The convoy will move at slow speed, 20 mph.
The organiser added that farmers will drive close to the Port of Felixstowe to highlight the issue of food imports coming to the country.
Mr Abbott added: “We’re still competing with cheap imports through Felixstowe, the biggest port in the country. We are angry about the imports, and we think it’s high time to start thinking about our food security.
“We have to stop this lower standard of stuff coming to us. It’s a big factor for British farmers as we’re governed by the red tape so much. A lot of chemicals that we used years ago have been banned in this country.
“However, the imported food is grown using those chemicals. We can’t compete with it.”
Farmers will speak with shoppers
A small number of tractors is also going to appear at Tesco near Copdock, Suffolk, this Saturday, 25th January, as local farmers would like to engage in conversation with shoppers.
“We won’t be there to upset the Tesco, nor the public. We’d like to talk to shoppers about British food and encourage them to choose wisely.
“We ask them to look for the Red Tractor label, to look for food that was not only packed in Britain but also grown in here.
“Try and use the seasonal stuff we put on shelves in stores. It’s the only way of supporting us,” Mr Abbott concluded.
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