Farmers drive tractor convoy in tax protest
BBCDozens of farmers in Warwickshire have held a tractor protest against the government's changes to inheritance tax rules.
They drove in convoy through Warwick and Leamington Spa on Saturday as part of a national "day of unity" by farmers across the country.
Working farms are currently exempt from inheritance tax but from April 2026 any inherited properties or land worth more than £1m will be taxed at a rate of 20%.
The government has been approached for a response to Saturday's protests and previously said it would invest £5bn into farming over the next two years.
Livestock farmer Mark Johnson, who was driving one of the tractors through Leamington, said he was against the tax because farmers were already "trying to produce food for next to nothing".
Saturday's protests were co-ordinated by the National Farmers' Union, with other events also planned in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
A government spokesperson had previously said: "Our reform to Agricultural and Business Property relief will mean estates will pay a reduced effective 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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