"We're being driven out" - West Sussex farmers take a stand as tractor convoy hits supermarkets

A tractor convoy made up of farmers from all over West Sussex took a stand outside supermarkets along the A27 corridor earlier today (January 17)/

The convoy, which featured some 15 tractors from farms across the county, is one of several which have sprung up all over the UK in recent weeks, as farmers continue to protest the impact of planned changes to the inheritance tax threshold.

The changes were announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves late last year in a historic, but controversial, budget, which also promised additional spending on transport infrastructure and public services. Inheritance tax relief, the government announced, will be capped at farms with combined business and agricultural assets of just £1 million - a figure which, many farmers say, will make it impossible for small and medium-sized farms to continue operating.

Although the government insists the change is only likely to effect some 2,000 estates each year, with Food Security Minister Daniel Zeichner reiterating a ‘commitment to farmers and the vital role they play to feed our nation’, today's demonstrators felt differently.

"The government is trying to drive us out,” said Ollie Fields, who took part in the convoy. “And we need to remind people that everyone needs a farmer three times a day. “You go to the supermarket everyday, and it’s just packed with food, but I think people forget that we’re the ones who make that happen.”

Travelling through A27 corridor, with stops at Tesco and Sainsburys supermarkets in Pulborough, Hove, Worthing, Haywards Heath, Horsham and more, farmers said they were well-supported by locals who shared many of the same concerns as them.

"Everywhere we go people are tooting their horns, clapping, waving – just really showing their support,” Mr Fields explained. “People seem really glad to see us.

"The government haven't thought about this at all. And it’s not just about the inheritance tax, it’s also about the national insurance hike, which is hitting small businesses, and that’s going to hurt the consumer at the end of the day. I think the public is supporting us mainly because we’re a way of getting through to the government, a way of saying ‘We want some attention and we want some change.’”

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