Farm organisations come together for planned protest in London

Fairness for Farmers in Europe (FFE) is an open door federation of farm organisations across these islands that facilitates the coming together of farm organisations on the big issues affecting agriculture at the time. FFE successfully took the first ever case by any farm organisation to the EU Ombudsman’s Office in Strasburg in 2007 on the issue of inferior quality imports of Brazilian beef coming into the EU.

William Taylor co-ordinator of Fairness for Farmers in Europe stated: “To date the Labour party’s Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ has stayed silent on the massive issue of her October budget recklessly introducing Inheritance Tax on farms across the UK. However, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has had a conversation with NFU President Tom Bradshaw, albeit, talk only.

"Wednesday’s Tractor Protest is set to do two things, firstly, create a huge presence of the countryside in London to remind the Government that the pressure is on them and will stay on them until this Tax is reversed.

"Secondly, a letter has been sent directly to the Chancellor by Fairness for Farmers in Europe. This letter makes the case to the Chancellor to discuss at the requested meeting - the setting aside completely of the Inheritance Tax and instead introduce a UK-wide Farm Welfare Bill, directly copied off the NI Farm Welfare Bill, currently with the Stormont Agriculture Committee.

"The case will be made that this will deliver far more tax from profitable farmers and the 123 businesses they purchase from the Inheritance Tax she introduced. In addition, as was the case with Roosevelt’s 1930’s New Deal, which the Bill is modelled on, put money in farmers’ pockets and America prospered, as did the US during Trump’s first administration when he immediately removed 50% Inheritance Tax from US farmers and helped them in other ways such as cutting fuel costs and much more!”

Taylor concluded, “We can make the sums add up for the Chancellor, the UK and the UK’s farmers but only if she is willing to meet and listen!”

The letter to the The Rt Hon Chancellor Rachel Reeves MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, reads as follows:

The changes to inheritance tax will destroy the UK farm sector as we know it and will considerably undermine our ability to produce safe sustainable British food for British consumers.

Representatives from the following farm organisations (see list below) would be grateful for the opportunity to meet with you at your earliest convenience to deliver a way forward on the hugely important issue of inheritance tax on UK family farmers.

This list of farm organisations representatives from across these islands come together under the heading of Fairness for Farmers in Europe (FFE) and wish to discuss a trade-off involving the removal of the inheritance tax entirely and instead implement the following – a UK Farm Welfare Bill, directly copied off the NI Farm Welfare Bill currently with the Agriculture Committee at Stormont. Note – this Bill has its origins in Roosevelt’s 1930’s recession New Deal.

With this move you will deliver sustainable prosperity across the UK alongside a huge sustainable increase in the annual tax-take. This Bill will create a musical chairs of farming activity, much better for the environment as many move towards regenerative agriculture and more mixed farming, thereby placed to deliver the safe food the UK requires sustainably whilst delivering additional tax receipts for the exchequer.

Therefore, unless the Labour party has some other agenda other than making the UK prosperous, ensuring food security increases, genuinely fixing accelerated climate change, increasing the tax take from newly profitable businesses and stopping UK farmers having to escalate their protests then we assume we can expect a date for our meeting where our indisputable evidence can be delivered along with an additional new source of true green energy – yet to be delivered from cattle farmers.

Kind Regards

William Taylor

Fairness for Farmers in Europe co-ordinator

Farmers For Action UK NI co-ordinator

NI Farm Groups co-ordinator

North South Farm Groups co-ordinator

Fairness for Farmers in Europe (FFE) is an open door federation of farm organisations across these islands that facilities the coming together of farm organisations on the big issues affecting agriculture at the time. FFE successfully took the first ever case by any farm organisation to the EU Ombudsman’s Office in Strasburg in 2007 on the issue of inferior quality imports of Brazilian beef coming into the EU.

Please note – the NFU England and Wales plus the UFU and the Scottish NFU represent (their figures) approximately 76,500 farmers – this leaves approximately 140,000 farmers for this letter to represent, not to mention the support of many NFU members.

Today, on the massive issue of the first budget of the current UK Labour Government imposing Inheritance Tax on family farms and the increased National Insurance

Contributions and other taxes that will affect family farmers massively and the out-workings of some of these taxes on approx 123 different farm suppliers they purchase from, has driven the following organisations to request such an urgent meeting with yourself:

Save British Farming

Farmers For Action UK

Manx NFU

Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association

Fairness for Farmers (Kent)

Family Farmers Association

Belfast Hills Farmers

Liam Price & Welsh Farmers Unite

Gareth Wyn Jones and social media followers

Please note we have huge support from many environmental groups & other groups across the UK