Farmers Protest Government Inheritance Tax Plans

Over 100 farmers from various parts of North Yorkshire participated in a protest against the government’s proposed inheritance tax reforms. Crowds gathered to observe the demonstrators, driving their tractors, as they journeyed from York Auction Centre in Murton, passing significant city landmarks such as York Minster and Clifford’s Tower. Farmers also traveled to Westminster to voice their opposition to government intentions to impose a 20% inheritance tax on agricultural assets valued over £1m, effective from April 2026. Pig farmer Anna Longthorp organized the tractor procession for local supporters who were unable to travel to London, emphasizing the importance of highlighting the tax’s potential impact on small family farms. She informed the BBC: “The support for this has been tremendous, it has made me quite emotional, seeing people waving and clapping at us as we go past.” “We’re asset rich, cash poor as we have big assets in land. It is very valuable in the tractors that we drive, the kit that we need in order to do food for the nation, so we’re quite alone in that we’re price takers instead of price makers.” “We don’t receive a price for any of the products, so some years we make a profit and some years we make a loss.” “So we just don’t have the liquidity to pay this tax.” “We won’t stop until there is a change, we are a resilient industry and we’re standing shoulder to shoulder, we’ve got a huge support and don’t want to do anything to jeopardise that, but we will keep going.” Angus Gowthorpe, who operates a farm in Riccall, was also present at the rally to “show support and to try and demonstrate how many people are against this tax”. He stated: “Personally, we’re facing paying £60,000 per year when my mother passes away – if she passes the farm down to me.” “So we’ll be hit badly and so will many others.” Meanwhile, Steve Ridsdale, a farmer from the vicinity of Pocklington, added that he believed the government had “got it wrong”. He remarked: “They’re saying 73% of farmers won’t be affected by it but as you can see by the turnout today, that is not the case.” “We need a much larger allowance if they don’t want to affect family farms, so we want to keep the issue highlighted and hope the government listens to us.” The government has stated its significant investment in farming but acknowledged the necessity of making “difficult decisions”. During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced that the government had spent “last week alone, £350m to support farmers across the United Kingdom”. He informed Members of Parliament: “I think everybody welcomes the £5bn over the next two years that we’ve put in the budget.” For additional content, highlights from North Yorkshire are available on BBC Sounds, the latest episode of Look North can be viewed, or stories for potential coverage can be submitted here. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external sites. Information regarding our approach to external linking is accessible.