NFU fears that elderly farmers will take their own lives to avoid Labour inheritance tax changes

President Tom Bradshaw broke down in tears as he told the Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs Committee of “the most severe human impacts which we believe could end up being triggered by this”.

He accused the Government of putting people in “awful, awful, unacceptable positions”.

After changes made by Rachel Reeves in the Budget, farmers could pay an effective rate of 20 per cent inheritance tax on assets over £1 million.

Previously, they were exempt from this tax to allow family farms to be passed down through the generations.

Farmers have claimed that the measures will force them to sell off land to pay inheritance tax bills.

Assets would now have to be given to relatives seven years before death to avoid any tax liability.

Mr Bradshaw told MPs that he is hearing from “middle-aged farmers concerned about their parents or parent, who don’t believe they have seven years able to plan”.

The correct advice had been to keep the farm until death, he said.

“Now they don’t have any way to plan through that and yet they’ve given everything to producing the food for this country in that period post-Second World War,” Mr Bradsaw explained.

“They really deserve more self-respect than they have been given by the changes that have been proposed.

“I am going to talk about the most severe human impacts which we believe could end up being triggered by this.

“Those people, who are either in ill health or don’t believe they are going to be able to live the seven years, may well decide that they shouldn’t be here on April 2026.

“Now no policy should be published that has that unintended side effect.

“This is a lifetime of work, it’s the heritage and custodianship of their farm.”

Country Land and Business Association President Victoria Vyvyan confirmed she also feared a risk of suicide amongst farmers.

“We have very good support in some ways which is why we know about this. It’s not just anecdotes,” she said.

Mr Bradshaw and Ms Vyvyan revealed that they had both written to Sir Keir Starmer asking him to pause the policy and hold a consultation.

“This is such a complicated area. There are many ways of making the policy less bad,” Mr Bradshaw added.

“A full consultation will hopefully arrive at the right solution rather than a less bad solution.”

However, at PMQs, Sir Keir accused the Conservatives of “fearmongering” when he was asking to “change course” by Sir Ed Davey.

As the evidence was being heard in Parliament, outside farmers staged another protest over the changes announced in the Budget.

One of the organisers, Liz Webster, the founder of Save British Farming, said farmers would consider withholding food in the new year.

“We would consider holding back supplies to show what we do,” she said.

“We will go to those efforts because we want the country to wake up to what the government are doing and if we reply on imported food you will be looking to pay a lot more for lower quality food.

“And if there climate events, a war then we are at risk of real problematic food shortages.”

At a similar protest in York yesterday, Becca Wilson of Hundayfield Farm, Marton cum Grafton, said the industry had been “pushed to its limits and is at breaking point”.

"The amount of anger, frustration and sheer worry that we are feeling as a result of the proposed Budget is being shown up and down the country,” she said.

"Farmers are known for their strength and resilience and we are used to facing challenges in all their forms.

“These proposals will tear the heart out of British agriculture and disproportionately hit family farms, damaging food security, stealing away our future and signalling the breakdown of the rural community."