British farmers to protest in London

British farmers are expected to demonstrate in London today.

The planned protests are organized by two activist groups, Save British Farming and Farmers for Fairness. The demonstrations are against low-cost agricultural imports and trade deals that are unfavorable to domestic farming interests. Agricultural unrest has spread across Europe amid significant geopolitical disturbances including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and climate change.

In the short-term, the London demonstrations are unlikely to result in violence or any large-scale disruption. They are a microcosm, however, of the proliferation of agrarian populism, which in the long-term is likely to significantly impact EU politics. Absent a rollback of extensive regulations on domestic agriculture and prioritization of cheap foreign imports—an existential threat to the livelihoods of those protesting—agricultural workers are likely to take a firmer stand against the need to address so-called “globalist” issues like Ukraine and climate change. Should agro-populists gather enough political power to impact policymaking, efforts to promote international cooperation on these issues will likely be severely hampered. In the medium-term, expect some European leaders to recognize this long-term problem but others to continue to underestimate its threat to the status quo.