The Government should be working with us farmers not making life more difficult - Yorkshire Post Letters

From: Tom Featherby, York.

The Government's efforts to improve the NHS and the education of our children are commendable and will benefit us all, but surely the nation’s food is of equal importance. The changes to Inheritance Tax appear to have been introduced hastily and not thought through properly. They will cause serious harm to many family owned businesses, particularly small and medium sized farms.

They make no sense when considering the Government’s aims and Defra’s stated priorities.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Why would the government want to completely alienate and demoralise farmers and make our job harder, when we could achieve so much more by working together?

Farmers in tractors take part in a protest over the changes to inheritance tax (IHT) rules outside the Oxford Farming Conference. PIC: Andrew Matthews/PA WireFarmers in tractors take part in a protest over the changes to inheritance tax (IHT) rules outside the Oxford Farming Conference. PIC: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire
Farmers in tractors take part in a protest over the changes to inheritance tax (IHT) rules outside the Oxford Farming Conference. PIC: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire

We are ideally placed to help with the Government's aims regarding; Economic Growth, Food Security, Flooding, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Water Quality, Renewable Energy and the Nation’s Diet. Why would the Government want to totally dishearten us and distract us from our job.

It is not logical and makes the achievement of their aims to improve the country in all these areas much more difficult.

Data from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs shows numbers of hungry and malnourished households in the UK are on the rise because of climate breakdown and inflation, with poorer, younger and disabled people hit hardest.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Many households worry about food running out, cannot afford balanced meals, experience hunger and have missed meals in the past 30 days. Recent NHS statistics show a sharp increase in hospital admissions for nutritional deficiencies and problems. The UK produces about 60 per cent of the food its inhabitants consume, with 40 per cent coming from imports. Much of this imported food comes from areas that are threatened by drought or floods.

Food production has become more volatile and less stable with world and climate events driving up prices of inputs necessary for food production, such as energy and fertiliser, and thus the cost of food itself.

As a result, this food inflation in the UK reached its highest point in 45 years and was among the highest in the G7 in 2023. Surely now is not the time to increase costs for farmers further. It is so sad and worryingly serious that the people in Government and at Defra, who are in charge of our agricultural policy, have no understanding of the capital involved in running a viable, modern agricultural business.

My brother and I are fortunate to jointly farm 550 acres, built up over 45 years.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Our potential Inheritance Tax is £800,000. I don't think we would be able to afford this without land sales. This would threaten the long term viability and resilience of the business.

Is this fair and proportionate?

The Government has repeatedly doubled down on this policy. They have invested so much political capital in this it will be hard for them to change course.

In the modern world, with social media, 24 hour news and a hostile press, a Government pays a heavy political price for a change in policy; but as difficult as it may be I would urge the Government to pause and do a proper impact assessment to see if they have got this right and the policy is taxing the people that they intended. The harm it will do to the agricultural industry and the country as a whole far outweighs the money likely to be raised. We can achieve far more by working together.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

News you can trust since 1754
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice