Tractors flood Llandudno in rural protest against Labour

Hundreds of farmers and fishery workers filled Llandudno’s promenade with tractors in a symbolic protest outside the Welsh Labour Conference, demanding an end to government policies they say are destroying rural communities.

With tractors lining the promenade on Saturday for as far at the eye could see, the message was clear: “Digon yw Digon” – enough is enough.

At the heart of the protest was fierce opposition to Labour’s plans to impose a 20% inheritance tax (IHT) on agricultural assets worth more than £1m, set to take effect from April 2026.

Farmers fear the tax threatens the survival of family farms and the wider rural economy.

See also: Half of UK farms face closure from IHT hike, survey finds

Organised by grassroots group Digon yw Digon and supported by Farmers To Action, the rally also raised concerns over unworkable Welsh farming schemes, bovine TB inaction, nitrate vulnerable zones and the recent bluetongue restrictions.

© Farmers to Action

Families also travelled from across the UK to show their support.

Gareth Wyn Jones, a North Wales beef and sheep farmer and social media influencer, spoke passionately at the event about the struggles facing farmers.

“We are very, very annoyed with what’s happening to our industry and it’s time for change.

“These governments can’t keep breaking promises,” he said.

Mr Jones criticised the Welsh government’s upcoming Sustainable Farming Scheme, calling it a “scheme that is going to be our future and we know nothing about it”.

He also condemned the Welsh Labour administration’s handling of bovine TB, calling for a reduction in badger populations to protect both cattle and wildlife, especially hedgehogs and ground-nesting birds.

Farmers ‘not giving up’ 

Mr Jones added: “We want a conversation with these people. We want to find solutions.

“We have had a long fight, but we ain’t giving up.”

He noted that the stakes are high ahead of the Welsh Assembly elections in May 2026, saying: “It’s up to us to find changes, working in a way forward to feed this nation.”

© Digon yw Digon

Rachel Evans, a farmer and Countryside Alliance’s director of Wales, also addressed the crowd, evoking a heartfelt plea for the future.

“When my five-year-old boy says to me, ‘I want to be a farmer’, I feel proud but also worried. Will he get the chance?” she said.

But Mrs Evans expressed hope, saying: “I do believe he will because he’s got all you good people fighting for his future and the future for thousands of other children.”

She urged governments to take action now, warning that “it is no longer, ‘listen to us’. It is, ‘I told you so’.”

In a video recorded on the day, Shropshire farmer and Farmers To Action member Alan Hughes accused Sir Keir Starmer of hiding inside the conference venue, while tractors could be seen along the promenade “as far as the eye could see”.

© Digon yw Digon

Mr Hughes added: “These Welsh boys know what they are doing and they are going to make noise to say that you cannot ignore the British farmers.

“We are here to provide quality food for Great Britain and they are farmers backing Britain for change, for the benefit of us all.”

During the protest, however, three representatives of Digon yw Digon were invited into the Labour conference venue to hold a meeting with Huw Irranca-Davies, deputy first minister for Wales, to discuss their grievances. 

IHT U-turn next?

With the UK government is making a partial U-turn on its welfare reforms, costing it billions, the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has argued that it must now halt its plans for farm IHT, dubbed the “family farm tax” by industry.

A recent survey found cutting IHT reliefs for farmers could cost the Treasury £1.9bn and 200,000 jobs, wiping £14.9bn from the economy during this parliament.

© Farmers to Action

Jonathan Roberts, CLA external affairs director, said: “Chancellor Rachel Reeves is going to have to find billions of pounds to fund the government’s U-turns on welfare reform.

“We have an easy solution to help her find the cash – stop attacking family farms and businesses.

“As things stand, the government’s inheritance tax reforms will reduce tax revenue by £1.9bn and see 200,000 jobs lost. 

“It is a policy she simply cannot afford to implement.”

Government unmoved

Despite the outcry from industry, the UK government continues to defend its plans to introduce farm IHT, insisting that it has no intention to change or relax the policy.

A government spokesperson said: “Our reforms to agricultural and business property relief are vital to fix the public services we all rely on.

© Farmers to Action

“Three-quarters of estates will continue to pay no inheritance tax at all, while the remaining quarter will pay half the inheritance tax that most people pay, and payments can be spread over 10 years, interest-free.

“We’re investing billions of pounds in sustainable food production and nature’s recovery, slashing costs for food producers to export to the EU and have appointed former NFU president Baroness Minette Batters to advise on reforms to boost farmers profits.”