FFA strongly believes there are a number of things the British government could do to ease the situation in many sectors.

The protest on Wednesday is an “opportunity to come to London and tell Mr Cameron and his government [that] British farming is prepared to fight for its survival,” the group said. This is the last sitting of parliament and also the last Prime Minister’s questions before the Easter recess.

The group hopes it will open the eyes of the public, the media and customers to the plight of the sector, which is struggling with low commodity prices and delays with the Basic Payment Scheme, it was reported in Farmers Weekly.

This march is for the whole of British agriculture, for all sectors are under immense financial pressure

The dairy sector is also particularly concerned about the implications of Tesco shifting some of its milk supply from Arla to Muller, as they fear it will put further pressure on farmgate prices.

The number of dairy farmers in the UK has halved in the last 10 years, to around 10,000 today. Low milk prices and the fall in income were attributed to the drop.

Some industry commentators estimate that as many as one-in-five dairy farms could be forced to close this year, as milk prices continue to fall and rising debt reaches crisis levels for farmers across the country, the Telegraph reported.

Delivering a letter

Chair of the FFA, David Handley, will deliver a letter to Downing Street during the march, with the aim to “put British food right at the forefront of the government’s menu”.

This letter also highlights the lack of power given to the Grocery Code Adjudicator in the UK to protect farmers against retailers and wholesalers.

“This will be an event billed as a ‘celebration of farming’ and we are keen that the event promotes, to the general public, why farming is so important to the countryside and the wider economy.

“This march is for the whole of British agriculture, for all sectors are under immense financial pressure,” Hanley said.