Labor has come under fire as farmers are forced to sell ‘hundreds of acres’ | Policy | News

Angry farmers ‘betrayed’ by Labor will take to the streets of London this month in a massive protest against the Chancellor’s ‘brutal’ budget.

A major rally organized by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) will call on the government to reverse its “appalling” plans to scrap Inheritance Tax relief for farmers.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves wants to slap owners of farms worth more than £1m who plan to pass their land on to future generations with a new 20% inheritance tax bill in a move dubbed the ” tax for family farms”.

Farmers who were previously protected by Agricultural Property Relief (APR), allowing them to pass on land holdings to family members tax-free, say the policy change is unfair.

And NFU president Tom Bradshaw has now urged his members to descend on Church House in Westminster on November 19 to take their fight to the government.

Mr Bradshaw said the mass lobbying of NFU MPs had already been “massively overwritten”.

The NFU chairman added that he was “absolutely baffled” by the Government’s decision to “double” the inheritance tax on farms.

He said: “Farmers, I know many of you feel angry and betrayed.

“We share this frustration. We understand the impact this ‘family farm tax’ could have on you, your farm and your family.

“We want you, our members, to be involved in the next steps.

“We are organizing a mass lobby of MPs in Westminster on November 19.

“It is absolutely essential that we repeal this ‘family farm tax’, the changes to the DAE and ensure that you and your family can have a viable farming business.”

The NFU will use the protest to demand an immediate reversal of the government’s plans to reform the APR from April 2026.

Mr Bradshaw said he had never seen the farming industry in the position it was in at the moment and although this had developed over the last four or five years, he said: “Today the tension, the anger, the frustration is so palpable .

“We will work with the Government to find a resolution, but I just hope that resolution will be forthcoming.”

He added: “I think what our members are telling us is that this is a Government that doesn’t understand agriculture.

“They’ve shown us with this budget that they just don’t understand what we’re doing to produce the country’s food.”

Mr Bradshaw said he did not understand the Treasury figures, adding: “At a time of huge upheaval in the industry, with all the changes from Brexsince Covid and the Ukrainian crisis and all the inflation, to bring about this change now, especially when the Secretary of State spoke publicly about understanding the pressures on the industry, the mental health challenges facing the industry, and then they brought about this change. in.

“I really don’t understand who made the model or how they came to this decision.”

Greg Smith, Tory MP for Mid-Bucks, told the Express: “Labour has given family farms the biggest kick in the rear.

“Total proof Labor do not understand how farms actually work, the realities on the ground and the consequences of families selling hundreds of acres to meet tax.

“This is wrong and Labor should reverse this perverse attack on our food producers.”

Former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron, whose Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency in south Cumbria is home to around 1,500 farms, said farmers felt “betrayed” by successive governments.

He told the Express: “Rural Britain, and agriculture in particular, was the big loser in this Budget.

“I see farmers who still feel completely betrayed by Tories.

“So they were hoping that this new government could at least turn the page on that.

“But the DAE changes are hugely damaging to tenants who will be the second-hand victims of this.

“They won’t have to pay for it directly, but landowners will find ways to restructure that will mean clearing land.”

He pointed out that many farmers in his constituency were on less than half the minimum wage but would still be considered asset rich and would therefore have to “liquidate” their family business to pay the tax bill.

He said: “It is appalling and will impact not only on the equity of rural life but also massively reduce our ability to feed ourselves as a country.

“It’s totally unfair and it’s stupid. It is the only part of the budget that I hope will change.

“It is very difficult for farmers to attract new young people into the business and this will only make the situation worse. It’s a terrible decision.”

Reform MP and British farmer Rupert Lowe said: “Hard-working farmers are the backbone of our society.

“This budget, along with all of his other mistakes, is guaranteed to have a catastrophic impact on farming communities across the country.

“The reduction in Farming Property Relief (APR) and the increase in inheritance tax will lead to record farm closures, rising debts and forced sales to cover tax liabilities – a cruel attack on grieving farming families.”

Downing Street denied that the farm inheritance tax would affect food security and insisted there was adequate financial support available to farmers.

Asked if ministers were confident the changes would not affect food security, a spokeswoman for 10 said: “We are committed to supporting farmers.

“There is an increase in the agricultural budget, there is also an increase in environmental schemes that support sustainable agriculture and food production.

“So we would encourage farmers to get in touch where they have concerns so that we can make sure that everyone gets the support and schemes available and also that they have all the details of how the farm property support system works.”

NFU boss Mr Bradshaw will meet Environment Secretary Steve Reed on Monday to discuss farmers’ concerns.

Mr Reed said: “Food security is national security and this Government’s commitment to farmers remains strong.

“Our Labor Government has committed £5 billion to the agriculture budget over the next two years.

“As part of this, we have allocated the largest ever budget for sustainable food production and nature restoration in our country’s history.

“I fully understand the anxiety of farmers at any change. But rural communities need a better NHS, affordable housing and public transport which we can provide if we make the system fairer.

“That is why the Labor Government has announced plans to reform agricultural property support.

“Look at the details and you will see that the vast majority of farmers will not be affected at all.

“They will be able to pass the family farm on to their children, just as previous generations have always done.”