More than 30 tractors joined a protest in Dover on Friday night, organised by Jeff Gibson, the owner of Yew Tree Farm in Wingham, Kent. Gibson stated that further action “cannot be ruled out” as widespread anger felt by UK farmers over trade deals agreed since Brexit had created an “utterly soul-destroying” situation. While the government stated that it was looking at how to improve supply chain fairness, Gibson said protests by farmers in Europe had “shown us what can be accomplished and hopefully the government start taking notice”.
According to Gibson, it has now reached a point where UK farmers must take action and make their voices heard. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he stated that while UK farmers are good at talking in the pubs and complaining about how bad things are, they do not take action like their European counterparts. He added that what is making foreign food cheaper is lower levels of production costs and sustainability.
The police reported that Jubilee Way had been cleared by 20:00 GMT, three hours after the protest began. The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) spokesperson said: “We firmly back our farmers. British farming is at the heart of British trade, and we put agriculture at the forefront of any deals we negotiate, prioritising new export opportunities and protecting UK food standards. We are looking at ways to improve fairness and support British farmers and growers, as well as ensuring customers have access to high-quality fresh British products.”
Jeff Gibson believes UK farmers are at risk of falling behind their competitors when it comes to production costs. He said trade restrictions in place since Brexit were preventing farmers from exporting goods from the UK but were not affecting the import of goods into the country. This situation has led to cheaper foreign imports, making it more difficult for UK farmers to compete. It is currently unclear what further action is being planned by UK farmers
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