0:00
Exactly. You know, farmers, the cost that they have to pay to produce food have gone up through the roof over the last 10 years
0:08
But some of the prices that they're getting for that food is the same as it was 10 years ago
0:12
It's very simply, you know, simple to realise that that doesn't work and that certainly isn't sustainable
0:17
Andrew Pritchard is another farmer who's here at the protest this morning
0:21
I mean, this is a bit different. This is a bit more direct action to what you've taken before
0:25
Why have you wanted to take action like this today? we are we can't we can't keep producing food at below the cost of production
0:37
the supermarket is able to sell food and make a profit we need to be able to we need to be paid
0:47
a proper price so that we can also make a profit if we're making a profit we're paying income tax
0:55
If we making a profit we able to invest in our businesses and keep the business working At the moment our businesses are grinding to a halt I mean you a farmer in Lincolnshire It one of the counties which produces some of the most food for the UK
1:11
and, you know, it's crucial really to food security in this country
1:15
Do you worry for the long-term future of farming in this part of the world
1:19
given the circumstances that you're telling us you're in? If things keep going as they are
1:25
farmers will stop farming because they can't afford to keep farming. And in this uncertain world that we find ourselves in
1:35
with all sorts of new political movements, food security, homegrown food, is the one thing we can rely on
1:46
And it's the one thing that's being neglected by government and by the supermarkets
1:52
It was the Oxford Farming Conference last week Emma Reynolds the Secretary of State for Rural Affairs the Environment she was there speaking to farmers One of the things she said was that for the government national security is food security and vice versa And she says the government have listened that changes were made just before Christmas to inheritance tax and that that surely should be put behind now and be able to move forward
2:18
Is it not true that the government have the best interest of farmers in mind
2:24
I think this government is quite remarkable. I won't go into the reasons why
2:32
But inheritance tax is, I suppose, the last straw for the farmers
2:40
It got us all out on the streets protesting. And now, although we've had a climb down from Starmer on inheritance tax
2:50
we need a complete U-turn because inheritance tax for farmers just should not be on the statute book
2:58
But as Starmer himself acknowledged in one of his interviews on the Parliamentary Select Committee he acknowledged that the real problem with farming is the lack of profitability And we know that That why we here today
3:18
It needs lots of effort from government and it needs the supermarkets to recognise that British farming is in crisis
3:30
And it's very simple what's wrong with it. We're not being paid enough money for the food that we produce
3:37
There is too much imported food coming into this country, imported food that's produced at lower cost standards than ours
3:47
and the imported food just lowers our prices. It means we have to produce food at a high standard
3:58
but get paid less than cost of production. Andrew Pritchard, thank you so much for joining us here
4:04
Thank you. From the front line here at the protest today, and what I can say in terms of the lorries and the disruption it's causing
4:10
they are now backed up all the way to the main roads because, of course, this blockade has been in place since 4am this morning
