A number of young farmers and growers have voiced their concerns to MPs today at a drop-in event ahead of a on the family farm tax petition.
The event was an opportunity for MPs to hear from 14 young farmers and growers about how the family farm tax will impact them. Representatives from the south, north, midlands, east and Wales attended.
The removal of vital reliefs means that they will be the generation burdened with unaffordable tax bills. This could force them out of the industry and will reduce their ability to invest in their own future, leading to the potential contraction of UK food production.
This is on the same day as hundreds of tractors descended on Whitehall 鈥� the third time since the Budget that the farming industry has come en masse to show the strength of feeling against the family farm tax.
What did young farmers have to say?
鈥榃e won鈥檛 be able to invest鈥�
Photograph: Mike Wilkins
Mike Wilkins from Wiltshire attended the drop-in session. He said: 鈥淔arming is an incredible job and I feel so lucky to be able to spend my days trying to produce the most sustainable food possible for the country, but that has now all been cast into doubt.
鈥淥n my family鈥檚 farm, my dad is still the primary owner as this was the best tax advice given ahead of the Budget. Now, my sister and I face a possibly crippling tax bill that we just don鈥檛 have the funds to cover and could impact our ability to produce food for the nation.
鈥淚t also means we won鈥檛 be able to invest in our agriculture systems to meet our climate ambitions.鈥�
鈥極ur land is everything鈥�
Photograph: Amanda Watson
Beef and sheep farmer from North Yorkshire Amanda Watson said 鈥渙ur land is everything 鈥� it鈥檚 not just an asset on paper, it鈥檚 the foundation of our entire business鈥�.
Amanda said if her family are made to pay the tax they won鈥檛 be able to continue farming. 鈥淪elling off parts of our land isn鈥檛 an option without destroying the farm,鈥� she explained.
鈥淭he government鈥檚 inheritance tax policy fails to protect family farms like ours, ones that produce food, care for the environment and maintain biodiversity.
鈥淚t shows a complete disconnect from the realities of British farming. For the sake of families like mine, who are custodians of the land, looking after it for future generations to come, the government must listen to our concerns.鈥�
鈥楳y parents spent years building the business鈥�
Photograph: George Cowper
Warwickshire farmer George Cowper said his farm is 鈥渁 proper family affair鈥�, as he farms alongside his two brothers and parents.
鈥淲e produce high welfare, nutritious poultry meat for the country as well as arable crops and some lambs. My parents spent years building the business and I feel terrible that it may be lost.
鈥淲e recently built a new state-of-the-art poultry shed to improve welfare and production, and we had scope to build another, but with the tax bill we face we can no longer take on the risk of investing money into the business.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not alone, there are many other businesses in the same boat.鈥�
鈥業t is morally wrong鈥�
NFU President Tom Bradshaw said it is clear from hearing these stories that the impact of the tax hike will be felt 鈥渘ot just today but for generations to come鈥�.
He added: 鈥淭his badly constructed policy affects so many people.
鈥淚t is morally wrong the elderly feel targeted, and we face turning away the next generation, who are excited to drive forward the sustainable production of the country鈥檚 food, because the family farm they have worked on could be wiped out by huge inheritance tax bills.鈥�
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L-R NFU Cymru President Aled Jones, NFU Student and Young Farmer ambassador Naomi Williams-Roberts, Labour MP for Montgomeryshire Steve Witherden, NFU President Tom Bradshaw
NFU President Tom Bradshaw and NFU North Riding and Durham representatives met with local MPs Luke Akehurst and Sam Rushworth
Daisy Cooper MP, Student & Young Farmer ambassador Jon Watt and Olivia Phoenix (NFU head of external affairs)
Cameron Thomas MP speaking to Herefordshire county adviser Ali Parker
Young farming members talking to James Cleverly MP
Tom said that it has never been more important to unlock the potential of the UK farming industry following the recent National Preparedness Commission report, which raised concerns about the UK鈥檚 food security.
He highlighted that 鈥渢he figures the Treasury is using to create this policy have been disputed by almost everyone鈥�, including previously supportive tax experts and the government鈥檚 own levy board AHDB.
New supplementary forecasting from the OBR (Office for Budget Responsibility) analysis also said that is 鈥榟ighly uncertain鈥� whether the measures will raise the 拢500m the Treasury claims it will.
The report goes on to say 鈥榠t is likely to be more difficult for some older individuals to quickly restructure their affairs in response to the measure鈥�.
Dialogue and solutions
鈥淲hen the multiple strands of evidence look this stark, simply digging in and holding a position can鈥檛 be the right option,鈥� Tom continued. 鈥淒ialogue and solutions have to be the way forward for everyone and I remain committed to finding those constructive solutions with the Chancellor.鈥�
Tom and NFU North Riding and Durham representatives also met with local MPs Luke Akehurst and Sam Rushworth today during a roundtable meeting to discuss the challenges facing family farms in the area.
Tom later spoke at the farmer rally in Whitehall to stand with farmers and show we are not giving up the fight to stop the family farm tax.
Hear directly from the young farmers affected:
"These tax changes are simply going to cripple our business."
— National Farmers' Union (@NFUtweets)
Carys Jones is part of a group of young farmers in Parliament at an NFU reception today explaining to MPs how the family farm tax will affect the future of their family farms.
Poultry farmer George Cowper explains how the Family Farm Tax will affect the future of his family's farm business.
— National Farmers' Union (@NFUtweets)
He is in Parliament at an NFU reception today making the case to MPs to .
Lucy Hinch, poultry farmer from Rutland joins us in Parliament today to share with MP's how she will be directly affected by the Family Farm Tax.
— National Farmers' Union (@NFUtweets)
"These tax changes are simply going to cripple our business."
— National Farmers' Union (@NFUtweets)
Carys Jones is part of a group of young farmers in Parliament at an NFU reception today explaining to MPs how the family farm tax will affect the future of their family farms.