Changes announced in the recent budget to Agriculture Property Relief and Business Property Relief could see farms forced to sell some or all of their land to pay increased inheritance tax bills, resulting in threats to food production, the future of rural businesses and the wider economy.
Our Cow Molly, Sheffield’s last dairy farm to bottle and distribute milk, supplies direct to local people, shops, cafes, major supermarkets and Sheffield Universities. All produce will have the NFU’s Stop the Family Farm Tax campaign sticker on the carton to help raise awareness of the issue and seek public support.
As it currently stands, the changes to IHT will have a massive impact on Eddie and his family as they have recently decided to modernise the farm and build a new barn to accommodate robots and an anaerobic digester to capture methane and install a solar roof, as part of their work to contribute to climate change mitigation, and on the back of pre-election promises. The government slurry support grant, to improve slurry storage to aid environmental protection, is also now on hold, creating more stress and uncertainty for the family.
Now Eddie is encouraging other food producers to get onboard and bring the campaign to kitchen tables.
He said: “The changes proposed are huge, both devastating financially to us and other farmers. We can’t abandon building the new barn, which is needed for our herds and our work to produce renewal energy, or not pay the bank loan to build it, so we are in an impossible position.
“As a result, our family farm is under threat, as well as food production, local employment, suppliers and the wider economy.
“As a local supplier of milk, we wanted to get involved with this, bringing the campaign to the breakfast table and every cup of tea or coffee when folk reach for the milk throughout the day.
“We have great support from the local community and universities who I’m sure will be backing this campaign as it's quite literally the future of their dairy supply and sadly Sheffield's very last dairy farm that produces and bottles its own milk.”
The NFU, in collaboration with farming unions NFU Cymru, NFU Scotland and the Ulster Farmers’ Union, has stepped up its #StopTheFamilyFarmTax campaign. Roadside and gate banners and stickers are being displayed across the country to amplify the message that the proposed changes to inheritance tax threaten the future of family farms.
The banners and stickers, designed to be highly visible in key political constituencies, aim to keep public attention and build political pressure on the devastating impact these changes would have on farming families and rural communities.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: “The Stop the Family Farm Tax campaign is a powerful visual reminder to the government that our fight to protect family farms is far from over. “These tax changes are unjust, based on flawed data and risk destroying the very backbone of British agriculture.
“Family farms have been at the heart of our rural communities for generations, producing high-quality food, supporting local communities and maintaining the beautiful landscapes we all value. The proposed changes threaten not just individual farming families, but the future of the heritage and traditions of an entire way of life.
“Farming families are proudly displaying these banners and stickers as part of the NFU’s ongoing campaign to overturn this family farm tax and we are amplifying our message to politicians and the public,” he said.
To support the campaign, car stickers will also be available to boost visibility even further, allowing supporters to spread awareness wherever they travel and reinforce the call for action among the wider public.
Mr Bradshaw added: “Only a combination of public support and political pressure will lead to a change in this damaging policy. The NFU is in a unique position to apply that pressure, bringing together stakeholders from across the country, coordinating efforts across all the home nations and leading a campaign to highlight the importance of protecting British family farms.
“We owe it to our farming families and to future generations to ensure these damaging proposals don’t undermine the future of food production. This is a fight we will not abandon, and we need everyone to stand with us.”