Farmers snarl up roads in inheritance tax protest

Farmers have snarled up dual carriageways with their tractors as they protest about the Labour government's changes to inheritance tax on family farms.

About 75 tractors from Essex and Suffolk have staged a go-slow drive on the A14 near Felixstowe, while 20 tractors have similarly driven on the A5 outside the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal in Northamptonshire.

Last month, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced during her Budget speech that inheritance tax would apply to agricultural assets worth more than £1m from April 2026.

Similar protests have occurred around the country since the announcement.

Daventry's Conservative MP Stuart Andrew said farmers were worried for their livelihoods because of the proposed changes.

The government said the change was only expected to affect about 2,000 estates each year and its commitment to farmers "remains steadfast".

Similar protests have been taking place across the country, including tractor convoys around the Houses of Parliament and Westminster.

Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers' Union (NFU) and an Essex farmer, is among those who have been giving evidence to the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs select committee, but had to stop after becoming emotional.

He said that until the Budget the official tax planning advice was to hold on to your farm until you died and there had been no consultation.

"[Farmers have] given everything to producing food for this country - they really deserve a lot more respect than they have been given," he said.

He went on to warn more farmers could take their lives and had to pause to clear his throat while saying "this is a life time of work; it's the heritage and [being] the custodianship of that farm".

Victoria Vyvyan, from the Country Land & Business Association, told MPs: "We have had long meetings, but there's no sense anyone is listening".

Andrew Pakes, Labour MP for Peterborough, said the Labour government believed the extra tax revenue was needed to fund services in places including the countryside.

"They've tried to do it fairly - they would say all sectors need to contribute because they're trying to repair public services."

He asked Ms Vyvyan if she had identified other ways of raising the money, to which she replied she had and would send him details.

All those giving evidence said there was no accurate data on how many farmers would be affected by the tax change, saying the government kept using different figures.

The NFU has claimed 75% of farmers would be affected in some way - with Ms Vyvyan previously saying it amounted to about 70,000 farms, whereas the government has said it was more like 2,000.

Stuart Maggs, a tax expert who works with farmers in Norfolk, appeared before the committee and agreed with the 70,000 estimate.

The government has said farmers would have 10 years to pay any inheritance tax, but Mr Maggs said: "This charge is going to be a burden and with agricultural land getting a return of between 0.5% and 1% a year this move will be unaffordable.

"It means farmers will have to sell up and it'll happen a lot."

Russell Abbott, 41, an arable farmer from Tattingstone near Ipswich and the organiser of the event in Felixstowe, said the turnout was "astonishing".

"It just goes to show the feeling in the farming industry," he said.

"I can't believe how the government have put these taxes on us like they have.

"It's going to ruin farms; I'm worried for our future; I'm worried for the countryside."

Brother and sister Charlie Cannell, 18, and Millie Cannell, 17, are arable farmers from Beccles in Suffolk, who joined the protest in Felixstowe.

"The tax affects us more because a lot of us farmers are rich when it comes to what we have, but we're not cash rich," Mr Cannell said.

"A lot of small farmers just don't have the money to pay it so they're ending up cutting their farm in half and it's not going to work."

Ms Cannell said she and her brother, along with other young farmers, were "the future".

"We're really low paid and we're expected to live off of what we are paid," she said.

"We need machinery to help run the farm, we have to buy the seed... we're not left with much and we're expected to pay tax as well.

"I'm not going to have much after that."

Mark Turner, 62, an arable farmer from Newmarket in Suffolk, said he was "furious" and felt "ambushed" by the government.

He expects he will have to sell his farm in the coming years as he will not be able to afford the inheritance tax bill.

"We've got to continue to push and protest to show the government what they are doing is wrong," he added.

"There's more that can be done I think... people need to eat, supermarkets need full shelves, there's more to come."

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