Farmers to drive tractors in formation on Gloucester roads as part of national protests

A Gloucester farmers' tractor 'meet and drive' protest is due to take place in the city on Tuesday (November 19) to coincide with a national protest where farmers across the UK will be heading to Westminster. Taking place at 10.30am, roadworthy tractors will be meeting at the side of B&Q on Longhorn Avenue at Gloucester's St Oswald's Retail Park.

According to the event on Facebook, the gathering will be to "form a unified show of support for our farming industry and the struggles it faces in light of the new government's policies, the recent budget and the lack of understanding of the whole farming way of life and business.

"A lot of events are happening around the UK on this day and the more publicity in more areas the better to drive the message forward to the politicians pulling the strings," the event adds.

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Organisers say it will be a protest of a "peaceful nature" and at 11am tractors will drive in formation through St Oswalds car park and the following roads:

• Estcourt Road

• Barnwood Road

• Eastern Avenue

• Finlay Road

• Cole Avenue

• Secunda Way

• Hempsted Lane

• Castle Meads Way

• St Oswalds Road

• Return to St Oswalds Retail Park

It is not known how many will turn up to the protest but nearly three weeks on from the Budget, the plan to charge some farms inheritance tax has not gone down well with the farming community. There is a row over how many people might be affected and debate nationally about whether the budget on top of post-Brexit trade deals under the Conservatives have also dealt farmers a bad hand.

The Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the "vast majority" will be unaffected. He said in most cases the changes will not kick in unless the land being handed down is worth £3 million.

Speaking to reporters on the flight to the G20 summit in Brazil, Mr Starmer dismissed claims that the government had turned its back on the farming community. “I think it is very important that we support farmers. That’s why we’ve put £5billion in the Budget for the next two years into farming. Obviously, there’s an issue around inheritance tax and I do understand the concern."

Tom Bradshaw, President of the National Farmers' Union, said on Sunday: “I have never seen the united sense of anger that there is in this industry today. The industry is feeling betrayed, feeling angry."