By Stephen Le Quesne
I HAVE kept a close eye on the protests by UK farmers this week regarding the inheritance tax announcement by the Labour government in the Autumn Budget.
Before the proposed changes, farmers were almost entirely exempt from inheritance tax with the aid of two schemes, the Agricultural Policy Relief (APR) and the Business Property Relief (BPR). But under new plans these will be capped at £1m with an inheritance tax of 20% above this value. These changes come into force in April 2026.
With politics and policy changes, the details are the key, rather than the protests. There is more than meets the eye with these demonstrations and the uproar that has been shown widely on our screens. If we truly want to help farmers we should be focusing on the more pressing, longer-term issues that are impacting them. Brexit, supermarket control and power, land use, climate change and the layout of our food systems need to be the focus.
The new inheritance tax on farmers and landowners in the UK has been long overdue. For years, wealthy individuals have been investing in land, solely for the purpose of avoiding tax, subsequently increasing land prices as well as some taking land out of food production. Jeremy Clarkson himself has openly commented how he bought his farm to avoid inheritance tax (although he has recently U-turned on this). He has been quoted as saying that “land is a better investment than a bank can offer” and “the government doesn’t get any of my money when I die”. His farm is 1,000 acres (400 hectares) in size, which is just smaller than the parish of St Clement (which is 1,084 acres).
The broader topic of land ownership in the UK is very much a privileged and unbalanced issue. Only 10% of land is open access and it is estimated that half of England is owned by less than 1% of the population, the largest group being the aristocracy and gentry. This subject is for another time.
We are being distracted from the real issues affecting the state of farming where mature, nuanced, factually correct discussions need to take place. Once again individuals like Nigel Farage and far-right commentators are using the discourse and discontent to their own advantage, deliberately causing more outrage. It is another culture war scenario where everyone is “outraged” and too many commentators have an opinion on a topic they were not bothered about before the night before. This type of political and social discourse is exhausting, and it solves nothing.
If we are going to discuss the state of farming like adults, then we need to talk about Brexit (which nobody seems to want to and you can probably guess why). Brexit has forced upon farmers new new trade deals that have weakened their position by letting in cheaper imports.
Critically, it has also taken away the protection and security of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which included financial support. The CAP was not perfect, but it is better than what we have currently. Schemes that have aimed to replace the financial support provided by the EU are not plugging the gaps that have been left by Brexit. This is also a large subject that can fill a newspaper.
And the very Nigel Farage who campaigned for Brexit is now supposedly on the side of farmers. It is infuriating. The truth does not seem to resonate like it used to, only the anger and outrage, which is injected into our veins by this kind of distasteful individual. You can tell a lot about the character of an individual when they walk away when being fairly questioned and challenged.
We have grossly underappreciated and ignored farmers for too long. The whole food-production chain, how we value food and what we are prepared to pay needs to be completely reassessed. Our addiction to cheap food hurts farmers. Supermarkets need to be called out, questioned and probably forced by legislation to pay farmers what they deserve.
Last year, income fell on almost all types of farms in England. Farmers need fairer prices for their produce, and better treatment across supply chains as well as international trade deals that do not undercut them by allowing imports from countries with lower welfare and environmental standards. On the other side, intensive agriculture that weakens soil health and decreases biodiversity needs to be called out.
The new inheritance tax on farmers is not perfect and will probably need changing before it becomes active as it looks like it may penalise elderly farmers more heavily.
The farming community was on its knees well before the Budget announcement and will continue to be after the anger over this new tax has died down. As with Jersey farmers, the issues of climate change, the state of nature on farms, supermarket controls, the cost of food and the supply chain need to be discussed openly and honestly by all stakeholders. Solutions require maturity, details, a give-and-take approach and a recognition of being incorrect and admitting when you have been wrong in the past.
It also needs new and updated legislation. Using this issue as another culture war solves absolutely nothing and only serves the individuals who are creating it in the first place.
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Stephen Le Quesne is a naturalist, conservationist, forest school leader and nature connection advocate.
