North and north-east farmers join UK-wide protest over tax changes

Nigel Farage and Jeremy Clarkson also join in as inheritance tax furore reaches London.

By Keith Findlay

November 19 2024, 1:53 pm

Farmers protest in central London over the changes to inheritance tax rules in the recent Budget. Image: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire

North and north-east farmers have braved wintry weather to show their support for counterparts throughout the UK attending a mass lobby in London.

The industry is furious about tax changes announced in the recent Autumn Budget.

And it has some high-profile people on its side, with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and broadcaster-turned farmer Jeremy Clarkson both joining the throng in London.

Farmers in Orkney, unable to get to the capital, held their own rally at the mart in Kirkwall this morning.

The farmers' rally at Orkney Auction Mart. — The farmers’ rally at Orkney Auction Mart. Image: BBC Orkney

Aberdeenshire farmer and NFU Scotland vice-president Andrew Connon in London. Image: NFU Scotland

Meanwhile, National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Scotland directors joined peers from England, Wales and Northern Ireland to make their feelings known to MPs of all parties.

The farmers’ message is unequivocal – they want the UK Government to scrap its “deeply damaging” taxation plans.

Nigel Farage joins farmers protesting in central London over the changes to inheritance tax rules — Nigel Farage joins farmers protesting in central London. Image: James Manning/PA Wire

According to NFU Scotland, the financial and mental pressures the proposals are putting on family farm businesses is “immense”.

As well as 1,800 farmers participating in the joint UK unions’ mass lobby of politicians, many thousands more took part in a rally and march outside Parliament.

London commuters looked on as scores of tractors drove through the capital.

Share your views on the controversial Budget and what it means for farmers in our comments section at the foot of this article

Farmers protest in central London over the changes to inheritance tax rules in the recent Budget. — Tractors drove through the capital to highlight farming industry anger. Image: Budget. Image: James Manning/PA Wire

NFU Scotland president Martin Kennedy said: “For a government to have stepped away from its claim that ‘food security is national security’ and targeted taxation changes at family farms in its first budget has left farming and crofting families deeply angry and frustrated.

“Inheritance tax reliefs give certainty to family farms that they will be able to keep the farm in the family and keep producing food for the nation.

‘Devastating effect’

“Without this, the family will often have little alternative but to sell the farm, or part of the farm, to pay taxes. The resulting break-up of many family farms will have a devastating effect on rural communities which have small family farms at their heart.”

Changes to inheritance tax will remove valuable reliefs for farmers.

Combined agricultural and business assets worth more than £1 million will be taxed at an effective rate of 20% from April 2026.

Television presenter Jeremy Clarkson joins the farmers as they descend on Whitehall. Image: Aaron Chown/PA Wire

The Treasury has insisted the changes will affect only about one-quarter of UK farms.

But the NFU and others believe they will impact many more farms.

Mr Kennedy, speaking in London, said: ““With the spectre of an unrealistic inheritance liability on death, there would be little incentive for a small farm or crofting business owner to take the long-term outlook and to invest in the future of the business.

“These changes could also result in a contraction in farmland available to rent stifling the ambitions of the next generation of farmers.”

Farmers from throughout the UK marched in the capital. Image: James Manning/PA Wire

Farmers in London deliver ‘clear message’ calling for tax plan U-turn

He added: “We are here in numbers today to send a clear message to government that it must reverse this decision immediately and sit down with industry to properly consult.

“The impact on many Scottish family farms, already stretched to breaking point after a decade of tightening margins, input cost inflation and extreme weather events, could be the final straw for many.”

NFU Scotland's delegation to London. — NFU Scotland’s delegation to London. Image: NFU Scotland

Clarkson says farmers ‘paralysed by a fog of despair’ over Budget measures

Addressing a large gathering in London, celebrity farmer Clarkson said: “For the sake of everybody here, and for all the farmers stuck at home paralysed by a fog of despair over what’s been foisted on them, I beg of the government to be big and accept this was rushed through.

“It wasn’t thought out and it was a mistake.”

Conservative MPs join farmers protest outside the Houses of Parliament. Image: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire

Gordon and Buchan MP says tax changes an ‘existential threat’ to farming

More than 150 MPs at the mass lobby included Harriet Cross, Conservative member for Gordon and Buchan.

She said: “Labour’s family farm tax is an existential threat to agriculture.

“Most commercial farms are multigenerational, with little in the way of liquid assets and no hidden wealth.”

Prime minister insists ‘vast majority’ of farms will not be affected

And speaking to the BBC in Brazil, where he is attending the G20 summit, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer again insisted the “vast majority” of farms will be “totally unaffected” by the changes to inheritance tax.

The PM added: “If you take a typical case, which is parents who want to pass on their farm to one of their children… by the time you’ve built in the other income tax thresholds, it’s only those with assets over £3m that would begin to pay inheritance tax.”

NFU Scotland has created a Budget information “hub”, which can be found at nfus.org.uk/media/budget-information.aspx

Meanwhile the union is taking a coach load of north-east farmers down to Holyrood for another rally, focused on the upcoming Scottish budget, on Thursday November 28.