A new farming union, launched earlier this year, has staged a protest outside the London headquarters of Defra and the NFU (situated next door to one another).

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On Thursday, members of the Land Workers' Alliance descended on Defra HQ in Smith Square to protest against the "stranglehold of big business over agricultural policy," facilitated by close ties between Defra and the National Farmers' Union (In the build up to last year's badger cull, Defra famously refused to honour a freedom of information request to publish correspondence between its officials and the NFU, arguing that these constituted 'internal communication'). LWA members believe their views are not represented by the NFU – or recognized by the agriculture department.

Upon announcing plans to demonstrate in London, LWA said that, since current environment secretary Owen Paterson took charge of the department, Defra policy has favoured large-scale industrial agriculture and marginalised smaller producers, while the NFU has consistently lobbied for the interests of agribusiness and ignored the views of smaller farmers.

LWA said its membership is made up of small and medium-scale farmers, growers and land workers. Those protesting on Thursday called on Defra to commit to policies that would be "conducive to a sustainable food future for all."

Demonstrators in London also brought produce for a 'farmer's market' held outside the offices, to illustrate that small producers can provide for their communities, and could do even better given the right support. Banners at the march read "agribusiness feed the rich, small farmers feed the rest" and "small-scale farmers are feeding the future".

The demonstration was held on Thursday to coincide with the international day of Peasant’s Struggle and LWA believe it's especially relevant this year, as 2014 has been designated the International Year of Family Farming by the UN. UN organisations have repeatedly said small-scale and family farming hold the key to global food security.

Speaking from smith Square on Monday, Adam Payne, a spokesperson for the Alliance, said the LWA event had been a great success. Payne said that, after speeches had been given, LWA supporters mingled with Defra employees who had come out to examine the produce on the 'farmer's market'.

Over 100 supporters attended the demonstration. LWA's Adam Payne said, "This was more than we could have hoped for, especially on a sunny day in April, when it's never easy to get growers out as they have so much to do." Adam said passers-by and even Defra staff had shown support and expressed an interest in the proceedings; although LWA members had attempted to meet with Defra officials, they refused the offer.

The Alliance spokesperson offered a little more insight into the union, and the reasons for its formation. Payne said, "LWA is a new union – for food, fuel and fibre producers. There are currently no other unions in the UK for small farmers, who are quite dispersed and, by the very nature of the work, find it hard to mobilise and represent their interests. However, these people need to be supported because they produce better food, farm in ways that are better for the environment and employ more people than mega-farm, which is what people want from agriculture."

There are certain key issues facing small farmers, many of which could be dealt with by changes in policy at Defra. Some, however, may require more fundamental change.

Access to land is one key challenge that is affecting new entrants into farming. With farmland increasingly being seen as an investment option, accessing land to farm in the UK is becoming ever-more difficult. Payne said, "The average farmer in Britain is pushing sixty years old and the cost of land is rising, up to £10,000 an acre in some areas. There is already a real problem facing young people who want to get into agriculture."

Land ownership in Britain is amongst the least widely-distributed anywhere in the world. Indeed, there are claims that only in Brazil is land concentrated in so few hands. What is more, this pattern is becoming more marked; as with other comparable EU nations such as France, official agriculture statistics show that the number of holdings continues to dwindle, whilst the average size increases.

LWA spokesperson Adam Payne added, "We speak to so many people who want to farm, but there are so many obstacles. There is no lack of interest; [rather] there are financial pressures that young people can't meet – especially on a marginal income such as they are likely to receive from farming."

Alliance members also feel that "the current planning system does not support setting up smallholdings," and is in need of fresh reform to make it easier for people to live off the land.    

The union is only young, but it remains to be seen whether members' enthusiasm, and ties with small-farm and peasant agriculture groups the world over, through the Via Campesina movement, can lead to the kind of progressive changes envisioned by LWA.