On Saturday, January 25, towns in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will see farmers gathering to thank the British public for their overwhelming support, and to underline to MPs that our campaign will not stop until the government’s proposed changes to inheritance tax are finally subject to consultation and proper scrutiny.
With all UK farming unions participating, the day’s events will vary from region to region but three simple messages will run through all of them:
· This tax is badly thought out and will crush family farming in Britain.
· The wonderful support of the public means everything to farmers.
· We are not going away. This will go on as long as it needs to go on.
Farmers will be out speaking to the public at supermarkets in Bedford between 10am and 2pm on Saturday.
There will also be farmers at Hitchin Market between 10am and 4pm.
In Huntingdonshire, farmers will be at St Neots Farmers’ Market between 8am and 1pm.
Johnsons of Old Hurst, near Huntingdon, will hold a farming-themed family fun day, giving people the opportunity to learn about how farmers produce food, meet farm animals, speak to farmer Luke Abblitt and admire some impressive farm machinery.
NFU Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire Chair Freya Morgan said: “We appreciate there is a huge amount of support from the public for farmers and this is something that we do not take for granted. Farmers will be out thanking the public on Saturday, so please come over for a chat if you see us when you are out and about.
“We will talk to people about the NFU’s campaign to stop the family farm tax and how this is not just an issue for farmers, but something that will damage the entire rural economy and impact small businesses everywhere.
“It will seriously threaten farmers’ ability to deliver national food security and could lead to food price rises in supermarkets.
“If family farms close because of the changes to inheritance tax, a huge amount of environmental work to protect the great British countryside would likely discontinue as well.”