NFU President Tom Bradshaw has urged the federal government to ‘pause and seek the advice of’ on its controversial Inheritance Tax (IHT) reforms, as we enter 2025.
In his New Yr message Mr Bradshaw highlighted the challenges confronted by farmers over the previous 12 months, together with unstable enter prices, commodity costs at report ranges in some farming sectors and on the ground in others, a discount in direct funds and one of many wettest durations in many years that resulted in a disastrous harvest.
“To cap a wretched yr, we noticed a Labour authorities, which, after 14 years in opposition, promised to reset its relations with British farmers and ship a much-needed raise to farmer confidence. As a substitute, it delivered an inflationary Price range and all however eliminated the tax reliefs for agriculture property and enterprise property,” he stated.
“In all my years within the business I’ve by no means skilled the anger, despair and sense of betrayal following the Chancellor’s announcement to modifications to inheritance tax which has lengthy protected farming’s capacity to move on farm enterprise to the subsequent era, thereby defending meals producing companies and the nation’s meals safety.
“We noticed these uncooked feelings play out at our mass foyer of MPs in Westminster, the farmer rally in Whitehall, and on the varied tractor protests in London and across the UK, with tens of hundreds of farmers expressing passionately how this tax will devastate their companies, households, rural communities and nationwide meals safety.”
He stated the NFU was maintaining the stress on authorities, concentrating on these rural labour MPs and with a ‘highly effective visible reminder from the NFU’s banners marketing campaign everywhere in the UK that the combat is way from over’.
“Finally, this must be sorted out by the Prime Minister and Chancellor Rachel Reeves with an answer sought that may mitigate the intense human impacts of this indefensible household farm tax coverage on the present holders of these companies, for whom, up till October 30, one of the best tax recommendation was to carry their farm till dying. Relaxation assured, we are going to preserve preventing to discover a answer,” he added.
Import requirements
He pressured {that a} sturdy system of core requirements for meals imports is important to guard farmers and customers from imported meals that will be unlawful to provide right here and permit the financial market to perform correctly quite than our members being continuously undermined.
“There must be very important laws to spice up promised public procurement of British meals, and a planning system in place that allows us to spend money on on-farm infrastructure that delivers for meals manufacturing and mitigates environmental danger,” he added.
“It is usually vastly essential that the overwhelming public assist British farming continues to draw stays steadfast. Greater than 265,000 folks have signed our household farm tax petition expressing their anger and frustration and backing NFU requires a right away u-turn. It offers me nice power to know that Britain’s farmers and growers are revered and far valued by the general public, who rank our job as probably the most essential and well-respected professions, second solely to nursing².
“Our ambitions are clear, and the manifesto dedication from this authorities, that nationwide safety is meals safety, gave us hope to ship the thriving business that farmers and growers wish to be part of.
“Clearly, the shadow hanging over the business from the disastrous proposed reforms to IHT makes delivering these ambitions not possible. To maneuver forwards, we’d like the federal government to urgently recognise the necessity to pause and seek the advice of so we are able to give attention to delivering the way more thrilling agenda above.
“As we head into the brand new yr, we are going to construct on the momentum of the general public’s unwavering assist and attempt to make sure we’re doing all the things we are able to to assist ship a thriving and worthwhile farming business – one that’s good for consumers, good for the atmosphere and good for a safe provide of British meals.”
