Devon tractor rally shows unity with London protestors

Protestors in Devon staged a “go-slow” tractor parade around Exeter on Wednesday evening (26 November) in a show of support for fellow farmers attending the anti-inheritance tax rally in London on Budget day.

The grassroots event was an opportunity for those who were not able to travel to the capital to show solidarity within the agriculture sector.

See also: Defiant farmers flood into London after tractor ban

A driver attending the rally, who wished to remain anonymous, said showing unity with farmers in London was the key aim of the evening.

“I feel extremely frustrated and worried about the inheritance tax situation,” he told Farmers Weekly. “We’ve had no movement, no mention and no give in government policy.

“When the Met police pulled the plug on tractors heading to London, it really got farmers backs up. We were all geed-up to make a stand and protest. So we got a local group together, targeting Exeter as it’s a Labour constituency.

“The Met have always been brilliant with supporting the London rallies,” he added. “But clearly someone else is pulling the strings now.

“We’re on the brink of food security and national security. My message to Starmer and Reeves? You simply can’t create growth through taxation. Taxing every last business and farm to death is not the answer. There’s got to be another way.”

Public support

Recent surveys by the NFU and others have put confidence within the agricultural industry at an all-time low, but support from the public as tractors swept through the streets of Exeter was high.

One evening shopper commented: “We’ve been watching the tractors go round the roundabout. It’s been brilliant.

“They’re not doing any harm. Taxing farmers just because someone has died is wrong and they’re doing what they can to get their message across.”