British farming celebrated at Lady Mayor’s Show

Agriculture took centre stage last weekend in London’s historic Lady Mayor’s Show, with a JCB Fastrac 8330 and a JCB Loadall telescopic handler adding a splash of colour to the three-mile-long procession.

The event, held on Saturday, 8 November, and renamed the Lady Mayor’s Show in honour of Dame Susan Langley – the 697th Lord Mayor and only the third woman to hold the post in more than 800 years – dates back to the 13th century.

See also: Enter the 2025 Farmers Weekly photo competition

In total, some 7,000 people joined the parade, together with marching bands, 250 horses and more than 120 floats.

© Lloyd Sturdy/NFU

The Worshipful Company of Farmers led the agricultural display, supported by the NFU, JCB, Red Tractor Assurance and Surrey Docks Farm.

Master of the Worshipful Company of Farmers, Jeremy Finnis, said: “Leading the farmers’ entry to showcase British food production at this year’s show is a great privilege.

“The event is drenched with history and shows off the City of London to wonderful effect.”

NFU president Tom Bradshaw added: “British farmers are proud to produce the food that feeds the nation, while delivering for nature, rural communities and the wider economy.

“But we are under the cosh and facing huge challenges from price volatility, extreme weather, uncertainty around the future of environmental schemes and changes to inheritance tax.”

He continued: “It’s heartening that the British public continue to support us and value what we do in record numbers – our latest farmer favourability survey again ranked farmers second only to nurses.”

JCB Agriculture managing director John Smith said: “JCB has been backing British farmers since 1945, and agriculture is a huge part of our business 80 years on.”

Jim Moseley, CEO of Red Tractor, added: “Taking part in the Lady Mayor’s Show is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate farmers’ hard work and dedication in providing high-quality food for the nation.”

The NFU’s latest survey also shows that 92% of people feel it is important that the UK has a productive farming sector.

© Lloyd Sturdy/NFU