Farm workers boycott London march

24 January 2001



Farm workers boycott London march

By Isabel Davies

THE agricultural branch of the Transport and General Workers Union, which has more than 21,000 members, has refused to support the Countryside March.

Barry Leathwood, T&G Rural and Allied Workers national secretary, told the Countryside Alliance in a letter that the union would not be backing the event.

Mr Leathwood wrote to Countryside Alliance chief executive Richard Burge, saying the T&G fundamentally disagreed with the alliance on two key issues.

“For many years we have had a policy of opposition to hunting with dogs, which was determined by our rural membership,” he wrote.

He added: “We have also campaigned for the right of walkers and others to have greater access to the countryside.”

Mr Leathwood also questioned the objectives of the alliance.

“If the Alliances main purpose was to protect the lives and livelihoods of country people and not just the interests of people who hunt, it would have emerged many years ago, rather than on the eve of a Labour victory.”

• The Countryside March – Sunday 18 March, 2001
• Rural rides to the Countryside March – click here