CP
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has declared its campaign against the Labour government’s controversial farm inheritance tax a “fight we will not abandon” as it ramps up efforts to protect family-run farms across the UK.
This week marked the launch of the NFU’s eye-catching ‘Big Banner’ initiative, part of its nationwide push to stop what critics have dubbed the ‘family farm tax.’
Banners were unveiled in key political constituencies on Thursday, 19 December, with the NFU, NFU Cymru, NFU Scotland, and the Ulster Farmers’ Union showing solidarity by displaying them across the country.
The campaign aims to focus public attention and build political pressure on the tax changes, which were announced in the government’s autumn budget. From April 2026, a 20% inheritance tax on agricultural assets over £1 million will be introduced—sparking uproar among farming communities and their supporters.
Protests have erupted nationwide in response to the policy, with tens of thousands of farmers descending on London in recent weeks. To amplify the campaign’s reach, the NFU is introducing car stickers to raise awareness, ensuring the message is seen on motorways and in towns across the UK.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw described the banners as a “powerful visual reminder to government that our fight to protect family farms is far from over.”
He added: “Only a combination of public support and political pressure will lead to a change in this damaging policy. The NFU is uniquely positioned to coordinate efforts across the home nations, bringing stakeholders together to highlight the importance of protecting British family farms.
“We owe it to farming families and future generations to ensure these damaging proposals don’t undermine the future of food production. This is a fight we will not abandon, and we need everyone to stand with us.”
The NFU is encouraging farmers to meet with their MPs, armed with data from their accountants and advisers, to challenge what it calls misleading Treasury claims that “few farms will be affected” by the changes.
The campaign has gained traction beyond the farming community, with 32 trade associations—representing 160,000 family-run businesses—warning that the tax could trigger significant job losses and discourage investment.
Meanwhile, a ‘town hall rebellion’ has seen councils across England pass motions in support of farmers. Suffolk, North Northamptonshire, Devon, Cambridgeshire, and Harborough councils are among those urging the government to scrap the proposals.
With more campaign materials set to roll out in January, the NFU’s message is clear: British farmers won’t back down in their fight to protect the future of family farming.
Find out more at the NFU and add your name to their petition to stop the family farm tax here.
This article (NFU Vows to Fight Labour’s Family Farm Tax: “This Is a Fight We Will Not Abandon”) was created and published by Conservative Post and is republished here under “Fair Use” with attribution to the author CP
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Councils rebel over Labour’s tax raid on farmers
Two dozen local authorities call on the Government not to impose inheritance tax on farms worth more than £1m
Town halls across the country are in open revolt against the “family farm tax”, with Labour MPs under mounting pressure on the policy.
In recent weeks, almost two dozen councils have passed motions calling on the Chancellor and Environment Secretary to axe the measure which they say is an “assault” on the countryside.
The 22 councils include those where Labour has newly elected MPs who are now facing rebellions from their town hall leaders.
They represent almost 10 million people, equivalent to 15.8 per cent of the population across England and Wales, or one in six Britons.
Under the changes, which come into force from April 2026, farms worth more than £1 million will be subject to a 20 per cent levy, half the usual inheritance tax rate.
Rural groups have argued that the £1million threshold will hit the majority of working family farms, asset-rich but cash-poor, instead of targeting wealthy landowners seeking to avoid inheritance tax.
In Rushcliffe, where the Labour MP James Naish overturned a previous Tory majority, the district council passed a motion demanding that he lobbies the Chancellor to drop the plans.
Cllr Neil Clarke, the leader of Rushcliffe Council, warned that the changes to inheritance tax “threaten to cripple many family farms” which have “no means to pay such punitive amounts”.
Meanwhile, Jon Pearce, the Labour MP for High Peak, has been sidelined by his borough council and the local authority will be writing to the Chancellor directly to urge an about-turn.
Other town halls to pass motions expressing their dismay include Devon County Council and Norfolk County Council, where councillors hit out at the Chancellor’s “assault” on the countryside and “rural way of life”.
Cornwall, Kent, Somerset, Suffolk and Buckinghamshire councils also passed motions against the policy.
About 50 rural Labour MPs have reportedly joined a WhatsApp group pushing to revise the policy, concerned about the impact on their constituents.
The MPs are said to want the £1 million threshold raised to hit wealthier landowners and are also pushing for the 20 per cent tax rate to be changed to the standard 40 per cent, to discourage the purchase of farmland purely to reduce inheritance tax.
Mo Metcalf-Fisher of the Countryside Alliance said: “The list of councils opposing the family farm tax is growing quickly and we expect more will be signing up in the New Year.
“This is undoubtedly a challenge for those rural Labour MPs representing seats in these council areas, many of whom understandably feel like they’ve been thrown under the bus by this hated policy.”
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