Tractor protest seizure fundraiser hits £16,000 in hours

An outpouring of public support has raised more than £16,000 in under 24 hours for two farmers whose tractors were seized during Wednesday’s Budget day protest in London – but the identity of one of the affected farmers remains unknown.

Lincolnshire farmer Taron Lee, who set up the GoFundMe appeal, said he had expected to raise “a couple of thousand” to cover recovery and associated costs. Instead, donations surged to £16,156 before he paused the page.

See also: Tractors seized during London farmer protest

Taron Lee © Taron Lee

“I never expected it to go that big,” Mr Lee told Farmers Weekly. “Within the first hour it was up to a grand. By the time I checked again it was at £16,000. It’s astonishing how the public and farming community have come together.”

Mr Lee has been able to identify one of the two farmers, whose Fendt Vario 720 was filmed being driven onto a low loader outside Canada House, near Trafalgar Square.

The widely shared video, posted by Merseyside farmer and YouTuber Olly Harrison, showed recovery workers struggling to move the machine after the Metropolitan Police banned tractors from entering Whitehall just hours before the protest.

However, the second tractor owner has still not been traced.

“I can’t distribute the funds properly until we find him,” Mr Lee said. “There’s a video of police getting into his tractor, and it looks like they couldn’t start it. We really need to get in touch with him.”

Mr Lee said any farmer fined during the protest would also be eligible for support, provided they can show proof of costs.

Rabi set to benefit

After all affected farmers have been reimbursed, remaining funds will be donated to farming charity the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (Rabi).

“Given the pressures in agriculture right now, mental health support is vital,” he said. “One farmer a week takes their own life – that’s above the national average.”

He urged anyone who knows the identity of the second tractor owner to contact Farmers Weekly, adding: “We look after our own – and we want to make sure every penny goes where it’s needed.”

Do you know the identity of the second farmer whose tractor was seized? If so, email philip.case@markallengroup.com