Farmers and tractors on the street in London during UK farmer protests

This is a free excerpt from one of Shortform’s Articles. We give you all the important information you need to know about current events and more.

Don't miss out on the whole story. Sign up for a free trial here .

What’s driving thousands of UK farmers to take to the streets in protest? How are extreme weather patterns and policy changes threatening Britain’s food security?

The UK farmer protests of 2024-2025 highlight a complex web of challenges facing British agriculture. From record-breaking floods and controversial trade agreements to new inheritance tax laws, farmers are fighting to preserve their livelihoods and the nation’s food independence.

Keep reading to discover how these interconnected issues are reshaping British farming and what solutions might help secure its future.

Image credit: AP (License)

The UK Farmer Protests

UK farmer protests in 2024 and 2025 are showcasing a perfect storm of challenges and concerns experienced by the agricultural sector, including intense competition from supermarkets, pressure from cheaper imported products, reduced post-Brexit subsidies, difficult weather conditions, and tax changes. While the government attempts to respond, many farmers remain uncertain about their future.

The Issues Behind the Farmer Protests

UK farmers are confronting a series of interconnected crises, with severe impacts on their operations and well-being.

Challenging Weather

Between October 2022 and March 2024, England experienced its wettest 18 months on record. Continued adverse weather in early 2024 led to widespread flooding, severely affecting crop production and livestock farming. Production of wheat, barley, and oats is expected to be 21% below average production levels recorded from 2015 to 2023. Further complicating this dire situation, outdated storm overflows are increasingly releasing sewage into natural waterways during heavy rains, contaminating fields and posing health risks to crops and farmers.

Heavy rains coupled with unusually low temperatures this spring have harmed UK livestock, preventing grazing and depleting feed reserves. Some animals have fallen ill from waterborne diseases; others have died.

Economic Strain

Farmers face escalating financial burdens from declining yields, rising expenses, and costly Brexit-induced labor shortages. In addition, market trends are causing the prices farmers receive for their goods to drop or stagnate. Moreover, some fear that post-Brexit agricultural policies and trade agreements with countries such as Australia and New Zealand could lead to an influx of inexpensive imports that further undercut local producers.

Food Security and Trade

UK farmers are grappling with problems worsened by recent policy changes and trade agreements. Farmers are protesting post-Brexit rules and trade deals they say threaten their livelihoods and the nation’s food security. Concerns they highlighted include:

  • Unfair trade agreements that permit the import of cheaper food produced under standards illegal in the UK—hampering British farmers’ ability to compete fairly.
  • Misleading labeling practices that permit imported products to carry a Union flag, falsely suggesting they’re produced in Britain—misleading consumers and further undermining British agriculture.

The farmers argue that these policies threaten national food security—a problem exacerbated by ongoing climate-related severe weather events, which experts say will will reduce UK food production capacity by 8% this year

Consequently, the UK faces greater dependence on imported wheat and potential food price hikes. With extreme weather already adding £361 ($386 USD) to the average UK food bill over the past two years, concerns about food self-sufficiency are mounting. Experts warn that the country’s increased reliance on imported goods could leave it vulnerable to global supply chain fluctuations.

Tax Changes

In October 2024, the British government announced plans to eliminate agricultural inheritance tax exemptions starting April 2026. The new “tractor tax” will impose a 20% tax on farm inheritances valued over £1 million, with married couples eligible for exemptions up to £3 million. This marks a significant shift from the previous tax-free inheritance system.

Farmers argue the inheritance tax changes could:

  • Force the sale of family farms
  • Threaten British food security
  • Worsen the sector’s existing cash flow crisis

The Psychological Toll

These persistent challenges are causing significant stress and fueling mental health issues within the farming community: Each week, three people in the sector take their own lives, with male farm workers three times more likely than the average UK male to die by suicide.   

What’s Next

As extreme weather events become more frequent, UK farmers are demanding robust government support to help them adapt and recover. In response to these pressures, the government has taken the following steps:

  • Requirement for 50% of public sector food to be sourced locally or meet high environmental standards
  • Reduced planning restrictions
  • Support for on-site energy production
  • Business diversification assistance

Farmers have also taken action in several ways: 

These approaches underscore the critical challenges UK agriculture faces: balancing immediate recovery, long-term resilience, and national food security amid worsening climate change and shifting policies.

The UK Farmer Protests: What’s Behind the Bullhorns

Want to fast-track your learning? With Shortform, you’ll gain insights you won't find anywhere else .

Here's what you’ll get when you sign up for Shortform :

  • Complicated ideas explained in simple and concise ways
  • Smart analysis that connects what you’re reading to other key concepts
  • Writing with zero fluff because we know how important your time is

Elizabeth Whitworth

Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books—and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a blog and is writing a book about the beginning and the end of suffering.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *