So deeply concerned are they, that Britain’s farmers and growers will take part in a mass lobby of their MPs to highlight the devastating impact of the recent Budget on their farms, with changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) dealing a heavy blow to farming families.

After decades of tightening margins, record inflation, and increased production costs, many farmers and growers are at breaking point. The farming community is simply unable to absorb more cost. The changes announced in the Budget could increase food costs to consumers, adding pressure to many still experiencing the cost-of-living crisis.

NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: “Farmers and growers have been left reeling from the changes announced in the budget which demonstrate a fundamental lack of understanding of how the British farming sector is shaped and managed. The current plans to change APR and BPR need to be overturned and fast.

“Farmers are rightly angry and concerned about their future and the future of their family farms, having been reassured by minsters in the lead up to the Budget that APR and BPR changes were not on the table.

“The Treasury’s figures which claim this will only affect one in four British farms are misleading. The £1 million cap to APR shows how little this government understands the sector. Very few viable farms would be worth under £1m, but lots of smallholdings and houses with a few acres let for grazing might be. The asset value of genuine food-producing farms will be high, given the size they need to be to remain viable businesses; but that’s the value of the asset, it doesn’t reflect its profitability which is often, and increasingly so, very low.

“Clearly the government does not understand that family farms are not only small farms, and that just because a farm is an asset, it doesn’t mean those who work it are wealthy. Every penny the Chancellor saves from this will come directly from the next generation having to break up their family farm. It simply mustn’t happen.

“MPs need to understand the consequences of these actions which is why we are mobilising our members for a mass lobby in the coming weeks. British farmers will ask their MPs to look them in the eye and tell them whether they support this.

Tom Bradshaw considers that there’s still time for the government to accept they’ve got this wrong, and is actively lobbying ministers to reverse the ‘family farm tax.’

Points of Information

1. The NFU represents 70% of farmers and growers across England and Wales.
2. The mass lobby for NFU members will take place on Tuesday November 19, Church House, London.
3. The government announced it will reform Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief from April 2026. In addition to the existing nil-rate bands, the 100% rate of relief will continue for the first £1 million of combined agricultural and business assets and will be 50% thereafter.
4. The government has announced that it is accelerating the end of the direct payment phaseout. No farm will receive more than £8,000 in 2025, which, in some cases, is a cut of more than 90%
5. The government has confirmed the National Living Wage increase of 6.7%, making it £12.21. The National Minimum Wage for 18 to 20 year olds will increase by 16.3% to £10.00 per hour.
6. The current agricultural budget for England is £2.4 billion.

Contact Richard Greasby - Head of Butler Sherborn Rural - on 01285 883740 or richard@butlersherborn.co.uk for advice on these or other related matters.