Protesting farmers bring Omagh to standstill

A LARGE procession of tractors travelled across the town this afternoon causing major disruption to traffic in a stand against changes to inheritance farm tax.

The Tyrone-wide protest organised by Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) set off from Omagh Auction Mart this afternoon beginning at 2pm, with hundreds of tractors and dozens of pick-ups joining the rally.

The processions were held to protest the British government’s proposed changes to agricultural property relief (APR), which limits the inheritance tax that farmers and landowners must pay when passing farmland on to heirs by up to 100%.

It travelled along the Gillygooley Road, Great Northern Road, Doogary Road, Bankmore Road, Donaghanie Road, Hospital Road, Crevenagh Road, before heading back along the Great Northern Road and Gillygooley Road to finish at the mart.

The Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) organised seven separate tractor runs, with two in Co Down and one in each of the north’s five other counties.

Speaking before the rally got underway, deputy president of Ulster Farmers Union, Glen Cuddy said, “Inheritance tax hits farmers very severely, the way it has come about with the removal of APR.

“Farmers right across the UK are holding a protest and we are doing our part in Northern Ireland.”