Hundreds of tractors blocked streets in central London on Wednesday, the latest protest by farmers against the government after it ended an exemption from inheritance tax for agricultural families.

The measure, dubbed the “tractor tax” by critics, was introduced by the government to boost funds to pay for strained public services, but farmers say it will destroy family farms and reduce food production.

Farmers lined their tractors up close to the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday, hoping to convince the government to change course, or face escalating protests.

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“It’s the final nail in our agricultural coffin,” farmer Gareth Wyn Jones told Sky News, standing in front of rows of stationary tractors as protesters held up signs saying “No Farmers, No Food, No Future”.

Farmers say their income has been squeezed over the years by Britain’s competitive supermarket sector, cheap imports from abroad and subsidy cuts following Brexit.

The passing down of farms through generations was previously tax-free but in October the government said farmers would be subject to a tax from 2026. Protests in different parts of the country swiftly followed.

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Demonstrators block streets of London with sign saying “We can’t afford to feed you anymore” in London, on Dec. 11, 2024. (Mina Kim)

The biggest was in mid-November when 13,000 people gathered in Westminster, including Britain’s most high profile farmer Jeremy Clarkson, the former Top Gear presenter whose programme Clarkson’s Farm is one of Amazon’s top UK shows.

The government has repeatedly said there will be no u-turn on the inheritance tax policy.

Environment minister Steve Reed said the government was working to help farmers via rural support schemes.

Tractors block the streets of central London, Britain, on Dec. 11, 2024 (Mina Kim)

“We are focused on supporting our farmers, supporting rural economics growth and boosting Britain’s food security,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.

Under the new inheritance tax rules, from 2026 a 20% tax will be paid on the value of a farm above 1 million pounds. Existing personal allowances, which a married couple can combine, takes the threshold for a farm and associated property up to 3 million pounds.

Right to asylum should not be considered as a ‘value’ but rather a principle of international law, Olivia Sundberg, migration expert from Amnesty International told Euronews in an interview featured in Radio Schuman today.

Yesterday, the European Commission presented a communication focusing on measures against countries such as Russia and Belarus, which are accused of facilitating entry of migrants into EU territory.

This phenomenon is described as a ‘hybrid threat’, and the European Commission is supporting EU states in addressing it by temporarily limiting access to migrants.

Yesterday’s communication also included a greenlight by the EU executive to suspend the rights to access asylum if it is proportionate, temporary and limited to what is “strictly necessary”. 

However, NGOs such as Amnesty have raised concerns about the political narrative.

Today Radio Schuman analyses the situation together with Sundberg.

In the second segment of the podcast, we took a look at an important EU ministerial gathering in Brussels. Can you guess the topic?

In the last part of the show, Radio Schuman brings you data on the dearest and the cheapest ferry prices for 2025.

Today’s Radio Schuman is hosted by Sasha Vakulina and produced by the journalist Eleonora Vasques. Audio editing by  David Brodheim and Zacharia Vigneron. Music by Alexandre Jas.