Minister Muir should not give up on farmers - Lord Elliott

On Monday the Minister told the Assembly that ​the Treasury has signalled there will be no U-turn over reforms to inheritance tax on agricultural land.

The agriculture minister added that if the changes go ahead there will have to be more focus on succession planning for farms in Northern Ireland.

During question time at the assembly, the minister said he recognised the Budget announcement had caused “real concern and anger” in the farming community.

In response Lord Elliott said he was ‘somewhat disturbed’ to hear Minister Muir indicate in the NI Assembly that Treasury were suggesting that they are clearly of the opinion that they are not for turning on the matter.

He continued: “This along with him outlining plans to scale up the Farming for Generations Scheme to assist with succession planning could give the impression of a defeatist attitude from the Minister.

“The agri-food sector is a hugely important part of the Northern Ireland economy, it feeds 10 million people at a time when there is rising food insecurity.

“According to the latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report around 733 million people faced hunger in 2023, which is equivalent to one in eleven people globally.

“If the UK government are going to further squeeze the community that already feeds millions, then the level of world food security will worsen.

“It is vital that the agri-food sector is supported, we don’t want the Minister taking a weak attitude and giving up on the sector that provides so much to the local society, but also to the world community.”