Farmers block Lidl site with tractor barricade

22 January 2026

Danny FullbrookBedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire

The farmers said they were calling to be better paid for producing food

Tony Fisher/BBC A blue tractor with a union flag on the front is parked in front of another tractor, with a sign on the front reading "no British farming no food". — The farmers said they were calling to be better paid for producing food

Farmers have used their tractors to form a barricade blocking access to a Lidl distribution site, to protest about fairer food prices.

About 15 demonstrators gathered outside the retailer's distribution centre in Bedfordshire, near Houghton Regis and junction 11a of the M1.

John Sanderson, a beef and arable farmer, said similar demonstrations were taking place in Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and his home county of Northamptonshire.

Lidl has been contacted for comment.

"What we're getting with the outgoings for fertiliser, fuel and everything else - it just doesn't stack up," Sanderson said.

Police were called to reports of tractors blocking the Lidl site at 05:30 GMT

Tony Fisher/BBC Three police cars are parked in front of two tractors on a grey day — Police were called to reports of tractors blocking the Lidl site at 05:30 GMT

Bedfordshire Police said it was called to the site at about 05:30 GMT and was managing traffic that was built up.

Sanderson added that British farmers were required to meet standards higher than those applied to many imported products.

He said he hoped the protests would encourage supermarkets and the government to "get their heads together and find a way of solving this problem, farmers just can't carry on".

When the distribution centre in Bedfordshire opened, Lidl said it would serve 150 stores and create up to 1,500 jobs

Lidl A view from above of the Lidl regional distribution centre in Houghton Regis. — When the distribution centre in Bedfordshire opened, Lidl said it would serve 150 stores and create up to 1,500 jobs

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said it was "backing British farmers as part of a new era of partnership to create a productive, profitable and sustainable future for farming".

"Our new Farming and Food Partnership Board will bring government, farming and the food industry together to better enable farm businesses to grow, invest and plan for the future," it said.

"This is alongside delivering the largest nature-friendly farming budget in history, protecting farmers in trade deals, making supply chains fairer to help secure the farming sector's future."

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