No farmers, no food.
Listening to local farmers today reinforced my view that the Labour government must urgently reverse its industry-threatening tax.
Stand with us: https://t.co/gCwPewxGJ4 pic.twitter.com/mhYKLuHR3m
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) November 19, 2024
The UK environment secretary has promised to reform the food system to ensure farmers are paid fairly for the food they produce. This follows significant protests in Westminster against inheritance tax changes. Steve Reed spoke at the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) conference.
He stated, “I heard the anguish of the countryside earlier this week.
When I warned in May that Labour would change agricultural property relief Steve Reed strenuously denied it. He repeated that denial to various farming bodies. This has increased the sense of betrayal felt by many farmers and reflected in today’s protest. https://t.co/uP52wLPkPC
— Steve Barclay (@SteveBarclay) November 19, 2024
We may not agree over the inheritance tax changes, but this government is determined to listen to rural Britain and end its long decline.”
Reed emphasized the urgency of bridging the gap between rural and Labour communities. He presented this as a crucial issue to Prime Minister Starmer.
John Prescott, deputy PM under Tony Blair, has died aged 86. Starmer today pays tribute to a larger than life politician who was a “giant”of Labour Party, while Blair says Prescott was “one of the most talented people I’d ever encountered in politics” https://t.co/B6DFlV4zVC
— Beth Rigby (@BethRigby) November 21, 2024
The rural economy is 16% less productive than the national average, according to CLA figures. Thousands of farmers gathered on Tuesday to protest changes to agricultural property relief. The changes impose a 20% tax on the value of farms worth more than £1m when passed on to family members.
Tom Bradshaw, the National Farmers’ Union president, described the tax change as the “final straw” after years of hardship. Farmers have been squeezed by supermarket chains, disappearing subsidies post-Brexit, and extreme weather affecting yields.
Farmers’ grievances over inheritance tax
They are now further concerned about the viability of passing their businesses to descendants. Reed announced plans for a 25-year farming roadmap to address these concerns. The plan aims to make farming and food production more profitable and fair.
“I’m not prepared to let so many farmers keep working so hard for so little,” he said. The forward-looking plan focuses on “supply chain fairness.” It aims to ensure farmers receive fair compensation for their produce. Reed noted that producers, farmers, and growers often get relatively little of the money that a product is sold for.
He highlighted the issue of rising costs, such as energy prices, often being shouldered by producers, leading to unsustainable practices. Victoria Vyvyan, president of the CLA, accused the government of “taxing us out of existence.” She expressed fears among farmers about losing everything they have worked for and called for greater attention to rural issues. Reed expressed hope that his plan would restore confidence in rural communities.
He stated, “This isn’t just about one thing. It is something much wider, and we have basically a proportion of rural Britain out on the streets of London telling us, telling politicians and politics, that they feel ignored, alienated and disrespected, and that’s what they want to change.”
The government’s commitment to addressing rural grievances and ensuring fair treatment for farmers aims to reconcile long-standing issues. It also acknowledges the critical role of rural Britain.
