Farmers gather in Gloucestershire to protest changes to inheritance tax
It's as the government insists their commitment to farmers is "steadfast"
Last updated 11th Dec 2024
Farmers across the West Country protested in Gloucestershire on Wednesday (11th December), to express their anger towards the recent budget and changes to inheritance tax.
The demonstrators drove around the county in tractors, in support of protests across the UK, including Westminster.
The "RIP British Farming" protest has been organised by Kent Fairness for Farmers and Save British Farming in response to the Budget, which included changes to inheritance tax for agricultural businesses and a faster phaseout of EU-era subsidies in favour of environmental payments.
Ahead of the protest, the Environment Department (Defra) said it had put £343 million into the rural economy last week, in payments for nature-friendly farming activities, benefiting more than 31,000 farmers.
Defra also announced new details of its environmental land management schemes, which pay farmers for "public goods" ranging from healthy soil, rivers and hedgerows, to habitat creation and large-scale nature restoration work.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed insisted "our commitment to farmers is steadfast", as he said the cash was part of a £5 billion two-year farming budget which was "the largest ever directed at sustainable food production in our country's history".
His comments echoed those of Downing Street ahead of the protest on Wednesday.
Asked if Sir Keir was concerned farmers could get more militant and restrict food supplies, a spokesman for the PM said: "We have been very clear we are not going to change course on this policy.
"It was necessary to take tough decisions at the Budget and the spending review and those decisions remain.
"But our commitment to farmers is steadfast and our message to farmers is clear, that is why we provided £5 billion to the farming budget over two years including more money than ever for sustainable food production."
Last month an estimated 13,000 people gathered in Westminster to protest against the Budget's impact on farming, with composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, TV personality Jeremy Clarkson and leading politicians Kemi Badenoch, Sir Ed Davey and Nigel Farage among them.