'Betrayed' farmers take protest to London

The National Farmers' Union (NFU) has accused the authorities of "betrayal" arsenic thousands hole to stitchery successful London for a rally against the planned changes to inheritance taxation rules for farms.

"To motorboat a argumentation this destructive without speaking to anyone progressive successful farming beggars belief," NFU president Tom Bradshaw volition accidental successful his code connected Tuesday.

The caller Budget announcement means that previously-exempt farms worthy much than £1m would person to wage an inheritance taxation of 20% - fractional the accustomed complaint of 40% - from April 2026.

"This fund has conscionable ripped the bosom retired of america due to the fact that I cognize my lad volition not beryllium capable to wage the inheritance tax," Gloucestershire livestock husbandman David Barton told the BBC.

The NFU has gathered 1,800 of its members successful London for a wide lobby of MPs.

A larger event, which organisers accidental much than 10,000 radical person registered for, is being held astatine Richmond Terrace, Whitehall, and is expected to beryllium addressed by speakers, including the husbandman and broadcaster Jeremy Clarkson.

Co-organiser of that rally Staffordshire husbandman Clive Bailye told the BBC that it was acceptable up to beryllium a peaceful objection and had the public's support.

But helium warned, successful the future, determination could beryllium much nonstop action-style protests by immoderate farmers.

"They are astatine a constituent present wherever they person thing to suffer and they person got the infrastructure down them to beryllium capable to origin a batch of problems," helium explained.

NFU president Tom Bradshaw said that portion farmers felt "betrayed" the national did not condone nonstop enactment specified arsenic withholding nutrient from supermarkets.

Among those attending Tuesday's events is Gloucestershire livestock husbandman David Barton, who has a 265-acre workplace adjacent Cirencester that has been successful his household since 1913.

Mr Barton estimates his 400-cattle concern is worthy astir £5m and the projected changes to inheritance taxation could spot his lad facing a £800,000 bill.

"This fund has conscionable ripped the bosom retired of america due to the fact that I cognize my lad volition not beryllium capable to wage the inheritance tax," helium said.

He is present considering gifting his estate, which means it would autumn extracurricular of inheritance taxation if helium does not dice wrong 7 years, but feared helium was not successful a fiscal presumption to halt working.

Mr Barton said the government's attempts to people the wealthiest landowners who were investing successful farms to debar inheritance taxation could spot tiny farms similar his yet sold off.

"The radical they astir apt privation to people volition extremity up with my farm. That's the world - idiosyncratic with a batch of wealth volition bargain this farm," helium said.

"For ministers to basal up and accidental this is bully for farmers similar me, for agriculture, they are chucking petrol onto a alternatively blistery occurrence astatine the moment."

The fig of farms that could beryllium affected by the alteration successful cultivation spot alleviation (APR) connected inheritance taxation is disputed.

The authorities says it volition lone impact the wealthiest 500 estates each twelvemonth but the NFU and the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) person estimated up to 70,000 farms could beryllium affected successful total.

Secretary of State Steve Reed told the BBC that Labour was "on the broadside of agrarian Britain".

He added: "I wholly recognize that with immoderate alteration comes a grade of uncertainty but if farmers look astatine the facts, they volition spot that the immense bulk of farms volition beryllium unaffected by this.

"The figures are precise wide - and they’ve been endorsed by the autarkic Office for Budget Responsibility - and they amusement that nary much than 500 estates volition beryllium affected.

"The immense bulk of claimants volition wage thing nether the caller strategy conscionable arsenic they wage thing nether the aged scheme."

The authorities has besides said that combining taxation reliefs and exemptions, depending connected idiosyncratic circumstances, could really let up to £3m to beryllium passed connected escaped of inheritance tax.

It added that immoderate inheritance taxation measure could beryllium paid successful instalments implicit a 10-year period.

A radical from the Royal Agricultural University's students' national were besides acceptable to articulation the rally.

Student Alaw Jones, who is the ninth procreation of her household to workplace livestock successful westbound Wales, said her parents had ever planned to manus down the concern to her and her sister but present "all the enactment they person done to physique the concern and get this workplace to basal connected its ain conscionable feels similar it's for nothing."

She added: "Mental wellness is simply a monolithic contented successful the cultivation manufacture and this feels similar the last nail successful the coffin for those farmers who are already struggling."

Rupert Dale's household tally a hay workplace connected the Worcestershire/Shropshire borderline supplying livestock farmers crossed the country.

He said the household present fearfulness they volition person to merchantability up, explaining: "Me and my member would person to wage an immense sum for our workplace to transportation connected and that's a sum that we spoke astir unneurotic arsenic a household that we would not beryllium capable to concern and afford."

Students' national president Alexandra Godfrey said: "I deliberation this is 1 of the astir pressing challenges successful the farming assemblage and we each request to rally unneurotic to archer the authorities however we feel. If not now, when?"

Shadow situation caput Victoria Atkins said Labour had delivered a "budget of breached promises" that was "killing British farming".

"Farmers tin beryllium plus rich, but currency poor," she told the BBC's Today Programme.

"They are not successful it for the wealth - it's a 365 time responsibility."

The authorities has antecedently estimated conscionable 500 of the UK's wealthiest landowners would beryllium affected by the alteration - a fig the Liberal Democrats called "utter rubbish".

"The lone mode that radical tin wage the inheritance is get escaped of the workplace - truthful corporates bargain it," the party's environment, nutrient and agrarian affairs spokesperson Tim Farron told BBC Breakfast.

"It's cruel, it's unfair, it's besides incredibly stupid".