Íæż½ã½ã

If anyone was in any doubt of the strength and capability of the farming community, this week's rally in Westminster made both abundantly clear.

You came in your thousands. You made a stand. And then left peacefully, leaving no physical trace.

But what you did on Tuesday will make history. Aside from the celebrity appearances, impassioned political voices and pleas from across the farming fraternity, it was actually the tone of the event and its sheer magnitude which has left an imprint on the people who came and experienced it.

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From where I stood in Whitehall, it was the polite but powerful silences, quiet contemplation – a mark of respect for those who could not attend but wanted to – and the generations of farming families united in solidarity, which said as much about the strength of feeling and what it all meant, as the roar of the crowds.

And for those watching from afar – and indeed around the corner in the Treasury – its impact will surely have been felt.

Planned with military precision, the rally, which organisers estimate about 40,000 people attended, along with noisy Conservative-led demonstrations outside Parliament and a fiery NFU mass lobby of MPs just a stone's throw from Downing Street, made sure farming's voice was heard.

It did good work too. Forage Aid founder Andrew Ward and his team's inspired plan to use the event to form a massive food bank, not only fed thousands, but cemented the tag line for the event – ‘We Just Want to Feed You'.

What happens next is key and the Whitehall rally's architects, who include high-profile farmers Olly Harrison, Clive Bailye, Martin Williams and James Mills, are driven by their opposition to the Government's Budget – and have vowed to maintain this momentum.

They plan to bring in wider businesses affected by the Budget to form a coalition from the private sector, to call for change and, in some cases, a reversal of tax hikes.

We know food brings people together and right now, small and medium-sized businesses hold more weight than the Government might realise.

Íæż½ã½ã and small businesses like them will not back down and they will not go quietly. And should Chancellor Rachel Reeves et al be in any doubt as to farmer feeling, our message was delivered loud and clear this week: this is just the beginning. 

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