Farmers protesting outside the Oxford Farming Conference have called the Government’s newly-announced reforms to boost the sector’s profitability a “load of rubbish”. During a speech inside the conference, Environment Secretary Steve Reed set out the Government’s “new deal for farmers”, which aims to support British produce and production, diversify incomes, ensure fair supply chains and protect farmers in future trade deals. However, local farmers gathered outside in protest amid the ongoing backlash over measures in last year’s budget, including introducing inheritance tax for agricultural businesses worth more than £1 million and a faster phaseout of EU-era subsidies in favour of environmental payments. Farmers held up signs reading “Fight the tax, save our farms” and “Stop the farm tax” while a host of tractors lined the streets, honking their horns continuously and playing “The Final Countdown”. Julie Adams, an arable farmer near Bicester in Oxfordshire who joined the protest, called the Government’s new deal for farmers “a load of rubbish”. “We’ve already done diversification. Most farmers have already diversified and we’re still struggling,” she said. Ms …