Bedfordshire farmers urged to keep highlighting impact of family farm tax during meeting with shadow minister

NFU members told how the government’s proposed changes to inheritance tax could bankrupt family farm businesses, devastate the rural economy, jeopardise national food security and lead to food price rises during the roundtable meeting with Shadow Farming Minister Robbie Moore and Mid Bedfordshire MP Blake Stephenson.

The meeting, attended by more than 50 NFU members, was held at Disco-Licious farm shop and café at Lower Gravenhurst, central Bedfordshire, as part of the NFU’s ongoing lobbying work with all political parties.

The NFU is urging its members to keep writing to their MPs to highlight the impact the family farm tax will have on their businesses and at Monday’s meeting Mr Moore said it is vital for farmers to continue to tell their stories.

He said: “The government needs to fully understand the huge consequences of its decisions.

“We will do all we can to keep the heat on the government, but it will be far more powerful and impactful for you to keep telling your own personal stories and highlighting in the media how your businesses will be impacted by this policy.”

The government plans to reform Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief from April 2026.

This will mean farm businesses will need to pay a tax rate of 20% of agricultural assets valued over £1 million.

The NFU argues that the government has seriously miscalculated the impact of its plans.

The Treasury claims that 27% of farmers will be affected by the tax changes, but further analysis from former Treasury and Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) economists, reveal that 75% of commercial family farms will be hit.

The OBR has said the changes leave elderly farmers horribly exposed, with no time to manage their way through the new policy.

The NFU has put forward an alternative proposal known as ‘clawback’ which meets the government’s money-raising objectives while avoiding tearing apart family farms and protecting elderly farmers.

The clawback proposal allows 100% relief on qualifying assets, but charges inheritance tax on all those assets if subsequently sold by the beneficiary within a suggested timeframe of seven years.

Other issues discussed at the meeting included concerns over the future of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), the government’s flagship support scheme for environmentally friendly farming, and recruitment challenges in farming.

After the meeting, Mr Moore said: “There is a lot of frustration over the family farm tax as well as increases in employers’ National Insurance, delinked payments, SFI and other issues.

“I had a very useful meeting with NFU members and information gained from this will help in holding the government to account and in developing future agricultural policy.”

Mid Bedfordshire MP Blake Stephenson said: “It was fantastic to get Mid Bedfordshire farmers’ views on current challenges facing the industry and to hear what they want from politicians going forward.”

NFU member Emma Barton, a dairy and arable farmer based at Silsoe, Mid Bedfordshire, said: “We had a lively debate, and it was great to have such a wide range of people attending, including people from different age groups and different farming sectors.

“I think it is important that younger farmers are well represented at meetings like this as they are going to be directly impacted by these policies.”

NFU Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire County Adviser Emily Brown said: “This was a very productive meeting, with a good turnout of NFU members who took the opportunity to discuss their concerns.

“The NFU works with MPs from all parties in order to keep farming firmly on the political agenda and help to deliver a positive future for British farmers and growers.”