Farmers stream into Banbury in tractor procession today (Monday) in local action against government plans

The tractor drivers, escorted by police traffic cars, made a big noise hooting and sounding their klaxons as they drover through the town centre streets.

The event was organised by Farmers to Action and had started out in Oxford city centre where they made their protest outside County Hall.

In Banbury the spectacle drew shoppers to the roadsides to watch.

"It was a great thing to witness,” said onlooker Jan Amanda Bennett. “You could hear them before you saw them and everyone in town came out of the shops to see them.”

Farmers’ spokesman Julie Adams of Bicester said: “Farmers, small-business owners and rural supporters have taken part in this a nationwide day of action as part of their growing resistance to the Labour government's net-zero policies and rising taxes.

“It’s part of the National Say No to the Government Day and has involved tractor convoys, protests and direct action outside Labour MPs' offices and council buildings.

“The group is protesting what they see as government policies threatening national food security and economic stability.

“A key demand is the abolition of all inheritance tax, including controversial plans to impose a 20% tax on agricultural assets from April 2026, which Farmers To Action argues will burden family businesses and hinder generational farming. The group is also calling for more support for domestic food production and fairer pricing for farmers.”

"Farmers To Action aren't just campaigning for farmers, we're fighting for everyone," said co-founders Tarquin de Meza and Justin Rogers. "This government didn't expect farmers to be so organised, and they certainly didn't expect such public support."

The day of action has included tractor convoys driving through towns and cities all over the country, honking horns in a unified call for change.

Currently farmers are almost entirely exempt from inheritance tax. Farm owners have been able to use a combination of financial measures to pass on their land and their businesses, tax free.

Under new government plans these reliefs will together be capped at £1,000,000. And from then on, farm land and farm assets over that value will be subject to inheritance tax at 20 per cent. Farmers say this will force many to sell up now.