Frustrated farmers target ports in fresh protests

Farmers are staging tractor protests at Felixstowe and Avonmouth ports, as part of a co-ordinated wave of demonstrations that is also targeting supermarket distribution centres.

Organisers say the aim of the protests is to raise public awareness of government free trade deals which are facilitating cheap food imports at lower production costs and inferior food standards to those of UK farmers.

This is putting national food security in jeopardy at a time when the world is increasingly unstable.

Farmers are campaigning for fairer farmgate prices which take into consideration increased costs, which have in many cases doubled or even tripled in some sectors in the past few years.

See also: Video: Farmers shut down Lidl depots in price protests

The unaffiliated group plans to arrive at both ports in the early hours of Friday (23 January), with the possibility of the protests being extended.

Farmers Weekly understands the action will involve blocking lorry access to and from the ports, with the intention of disrupting freight movements during the night and early morning.

The protestors describe the action as a “night of disruption”, with farmers committing to protest until at least lunchtime.

IHT element

There remains a farm inheritance tax (IHT) element to the protests, with farmers warning the issue has not gone away and could still affect family farms that fall above the new threshold proposed by government, which they say further threatens food security with the closure of farms and the UK losing the ability to feed itself from within.

© Spencer Campbell

Suffolk farmer Spencer Campbell said: “I’m planning on taking my tractor and trailer and some airbeds and sleeping overnight” 

“We apologise to lorry drivers in advance for causing them disruption. That is not our intention, but we have got to get our points across in some way.

“Farmers are being seriously undercut by food imports not produced to the Red Tractor standards that British farmers must adhere to. Cheaper imports are driving prices down and putting farmers out of business.”

A farmer taking part in the Felixstowe protest, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “We have to wake people up. We are on the brink of a war. Food security in this country should be paramount.

“We should be encouraging British farmers to grow more food to secure our own future – otherwise, we won’t have a future.

Government urged to act

Organisers insist the protests are aimed at forcing government action to secure fairer prices for farmers and stronger protection for British food production, warning that without change more farms will be lost.

On Thursday (22 January), farmers staged tractor blockades at three Lidl distribution centres – in Luton, Peterborough and Doncaster – as part of protests against low farmgate prices and rising food imports.