Hundreds of farmers from across Northumberland will deliver a protest to County Hall in Morpeth in a convoy of tractors and farm vehicles.
The Northumberland “Save the Farmers, Save Our Food, Save Your Future” rally will mirror similar gatherings at local authority centres across the UK on Wednesday, as farmers voice their anger and alarm at the new Labour Government’s October budget. The convoy will leave from Heighley Gate Garden Centre at 11am, and will travel through Morpeth town centre, with the aim of reaching County Hall by 12pm.
Many farmers claim the re-introduction of Inheritance Tax Relief (IHT) will have a crippling effect on farms whose landholdings make them “asset rich but cash poor”, though the Government says that it will only affect around 500 estates each year.
An estimated 10,000 farmers from across the UK travelled to London in November to protest these inheritance tax changes, while a separate rally in Whitehall protested the increased speed that EU-era subsidies are being phased out as funding is switched to more nature-friendly farming schemes. Farming leaders had accused Chancellor Rachel Reeves of refusing to engage with them over the changes to inheritance.
Northumberland is home to 840 farms, producing milk, vegetables, animal feed, cereal crops, beef; and the county is considerably reliant on the agricultural sector as a whole. Woodsman Kezz Petronelli-Stone is one of the organisers of the campaign and will drive one of his forestry vehicles 25 miles down the A1 to the protest in Morpeth on Wednesday.
Mr Petronelli-Stone said that the unexpected imposition of inheritance tax would be the “final straw” for many farming families, who, he claims, are already struggling to maintain their food production in the face of massive cost inflation and dwindling support.
He said: “It will do untold damage to the farmers who are the backbone of food production in the UK, at a critical time of global uncertainty when our food production has never been more vital. Farming is a 24/7/365 vocation, but every farmer who can ill afford to spare the time and diesel will be driving with me to Morpeth, and we will do everything in our power to make our protest heard in Whitehall.”
Children on toy tractors during a farmers protest in central London over the changes to inheritance tax (IHT) rules in the recent budget which introduce new taxes on farms worth more than £1 million
(Image: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)
Farmers Unite will drive their tractors and pickups in convoy through Morpeth town centre on Wednesday, January 15, aiming to arrive at County Hall by 11am. The convoy will hear speeches on the implications not only for farmers, but many businesses in Northumberland which depend on the farming industry.
Ben Leyland, 30, from Greymare Farm, near Belford, said: “I can’t sleep at night worrying. I just don’t understand.
“I already work all hours, where am I supposed to find this money? What will happen to me and the farm my family worked so hard to buy?”
Dan Spours, farmer and father of two who protested at Westminster in November, added: “As a tenant farmer the IHT doesn’t directly affect me, but I’ve already had to lose two members of staff due to recent tax rises & decoupling payments, now I don’t have the manpower to look after my stock so I’m having to sell many of them.”
A Government spokesperson said: ““Our commitment to farmers remains steadfast – we have committed £5 billion to the farming budget over two years, including more money than ever for sustainable food production, alongside our New Deal for Farmers to deliver a profitable farming sector and unlock rural growth.
“Our reform to Agricultural and Business Property Relief will mean farmers will pay a reduced inheritance tax rate of 20%, rather than the standard 40%, and payments can be spread over 10 years, interest-free. This is a fair and balanced approach, which fixes the public services we all rely on, affecting around 500 estates a year.”
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