Thousands of farmers march in London
Farmers marched the streets of London in their thousands yesterday (23 March) to celebrate the importance of farming and highlight key struggles facing the industry.
The 'Farming to London March' was organised by campaign group Farmers for Action, who say it is estimated that between 2,500 and 3,000 farmers took part.
Traffic was forced to stop as farmers marched past Trafalgar Square to No. 10 Downing Street, where they handed a letter to David Cameron, according to Farmers Weekly.
At the forefront were cows and sheep from Belmont Farm, one of just two remaining farms in the capital.
Dairy producer Ian Thomas set off for London at 4am from his home in Carmarthen, in order to draw attention to the need for better milk prices. He told Farmers Weekly: "We are not farming to make a lot of money but we do expect to be paid a fair price."
Another marcher, arable farmer Paul Cary, had travelled from Somerset. Low milk prices forced him to leave the dairy farming industry last year.
"We need fair prices for farmers. The government needs to stop us losing money - it isn't just dairying, it is all the farming sectors right across the board," he added.