The farmers proudly showed off an 8ft by 3ft Stop the Family Farm Tax banner as they rowed 10 miles from Henley to Marlow on Wednesday.
NFU East Sussex Chair Martin Hole, who farms at Pevensey, NFU Kent member John Dinnis, who farms near Sevenoaks, and NFU Dorset member George Hosford, who farms near Blandford Forum, thought this would be a unique way to get across an important message.
Mr Hole said: “We wanted to make the point that farmers are being sold down the river by the government’s planned changes to inheritance tax.
“This is a very serious and heartfelt message, put across in a fun and light-hearted way to capture people’s imaginations.
“The three of us have been friends and canoed together for years so this is just something we came up with as a way of continuing to raise awareness of the campaign.
“We got some lively reactions and caused a lot of laughter from people walking by the river, but there were also lots of cheers and everyone we saw was very supportive.”
The NFU’s Stop the Family Farm Tax campaign is calling on the government to reconsider its planned changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR).
The NFU says the government is working off the wrong figures and has miscalculated the impact of its planned changes, with concerns they could force many small and medium-sized family farms out of business.
All the UK’s major supermarkets have publicly stated their concerns over the impact the changes could have on national food security.
There are also major concerns about the impact on the wider rural economy and the environment.
Mr Hole said: “The evidence is clear for all to see that the government is working off the wrong figures.
“This will rip the heart out of rural communities and damage the rural economy.
“Farmers are the chief deliverer of future nature recovery so an incredible amount of positive work in this area would likely discontinue if these changes do go ahead.
“The government should do the right thing, put their plans on hold and put them up for proper scrutiny and consultation.”
You can sign the petition to Stop the Family Farm Tax by going to nfuonline.com