Farmers launch surprise 'Labour out' supermarket blockade in demand for FULL inheritance tax U-turn

Tractors have been seen sporting slogans like "raised right, raised British" and "Labour out" - and have issued a series of demands.

Protesting farm workers are demanding higher farmgate milk prices and are accusing retailers of squeezing producers while prices rise for consumers.

Lincolnshire man Ed Pritchard, the farmer behind the demonstration, told GB News on Monday the new "direct action" came from a place of desperation.

"The industry is in absolute turmoil," he said. "We can't carry on for much longer as we are.

"We really do need to see a complete U-turn in the inheritance tax," Mr Pritchard continued.

"We need to see better farmgate prices being paid to us by the by supermarkets and such like, and and we need to see a tariff imposed on imported produce into this country."

He also recounted his own experience with stagnating prices and warned his farm was facing a major cost battle.

He said in 2008, wheat was £170 per tonne, while fertiliser was a few hundred pounds and a 200-horsepower tractor was £50,000.

In 2026, wheat is still £170 a tonne, fertiliser is "well in excess of £400 a tonne", and a 200-horsepower tractor is £150,000.

"We just can't carry on like this," he said.

Just days ago, Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds told the Oxford Farming Conference that Labour was "serious about partnership with your sector".

Ms Reynolds branded them "the heart of our national life for what you produce".

She then said Labour's partial U-turn on inheritance tax - which increased the tax threshold on inherited farms from £1million to £2.5million, was a sign ministers had listened to Britain's agriculture sector.

But Mr Pritchard told the People's Chanel that ministers "don't fully understand what they're doing".

"They don't understand how the countryside works, they don't understand how our industry works, they have no idea," he said.

WATCH: Protesting farmer issues direct plea to Keir Starmer amid surprise overnight blockade

"They need to come out and see us on farm and get a full understanding of how our industry works."

Tory frontbencher Laura Trott, also speaking to GB News, vowed her party stood on the side of farmers - and accused Labour of "hating the countryside".

The Government is "making it harder to produce food, stock supermarket shelves, and keep us healthy", she said.

"We will always be on side of farmers," Ms Trott added - and hailed the Tories' efforts to force the partial tax U-turn in December.

GB News has approached Defra for comment regarding this morning's protests.