Extensive media coverage was given to farmers across the UK voicing their dissent against proposed changes to inheritance tax, which they argue will severely impact family-owned farms.
Conversely, a smaller demonstration outside the Home Office on the previous day garnered minimal media attention.
A group of fruit and vegetable pickers, predominantly from Latin America, protested against what they describe as the exploitation of migrant workers.
Both protests, although stemming from different ends of the political spectrum, found common ground.
The farmers’ protest, featuring Tory MPs and led by a figure in tweed and red trousers, clashed with the backdrop of migrant workers led by Julia Quecaño Casimiro, voicing their grievances through a translator about being treated “like animals.”
Upcoming employment tribunal hearings this week will address claims against Haygrove, a UK business that operates five farms and employs over a thousand workers under the seasonal worker scheme.
This visa program was introduced post-Brexit to address labor shortages, yet has led to allegations of discrimination and exploitation, particularly from supervisors of Eastern European descent.
Research by the Landworkers’ Alliance highlights the financial pressures on farms and workers alike, exacerbated by supermarket demands to lower prices.
For instance, out of £2.30 paid for a punnet of strawberries, the farm earns merely 50p, with workers receiving just 18p after various deductions.
Amidst these tensions, major supermarkets including Tesco and Aldi have shown support for the farmers’ plea to the government to reconsider the impending inheritance tax changes.
These changes, effective from April 2026, would see farms valued over £1m taxed at 20%, potentially devastating for smaller farm owners.
This narrative isn’t simply about conflicting sides but underscores the broader implications of Britain’s agricultural policies and the overarching struggle for fair treatment within the sector.
