Farmers attending London rally urged to register in advance

The farmer protest will begin at Richmond Terrace in Whitehall, opposite Downing Street
The farmer protest will begin at Richmond Terrace in Whitehall, opposite Downing Street

The time and place of next week's farmer rally has been confirmed by organisers, with attendees also being urged to register in advance.

The mass rally will commence at Richmond Terrace in Whitehall, London, opposite Downing Street, at 11am on 19 November, organisers said.

The original plan was for it to begin at Trafalgar Square, but due to the larger than expected numbers, the event was relocated.

The protest will include several speeches from leaders across the farming industry, and Jeremy Clarkson is also expected to attend, but it is not known if he will deliver a speech.

Following this, a procession will take place to Parliament Square, which will be spearheaded by a number of children on toy tractors.

The rally will then return to Richmond Terrace for a final address by NFU president, Tom Bradshaw.

Organisers have reminded all attendees of their "responsibilities to, not only themselves, but also, the reputation of the farming industry".

"Remember - you must register to be kept informed on further detail or any changes to plans," the rally's organisers said on The Farming Forum.

“Organisers remind attendees that they should not bring machinery. Trouble will not be tolerated, and organisers continue to work closely with the Metropolitan Police to ensure the safety of all involved, given the family nature of the event.”

Attendees to the protest are also being asked to bring with them British produce to make a mass Food Bank donation.

The rally is separate from the NFU’s 'mass lobby of MPs' event, taking place on the same day, which will be attended by 1,800 farmers and is at full capacity.

The venue for this is the Church House conference centre in Westminster, where farmers will ask their MPs to 'look them in the eye' and tell them whether they support changes outlined in last week's budget.

Both events are taking place due to inheritance tax changes to agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR), with fears this would deal a 'hammer blow' to family farms.

Tightening margins, record inflation, extreme weather and increased production costs meant that many farmers were now at 'breaking point' and 'unable to absorb any more cost burden'.

The tax changes could also increase food costs to consumers, farming bodies have warned, adding pressure to many still experiencing the cost-of-living crisis.