North East farmers stage tractor protest against inheritance tax change

Nearly 200 farmers took part in a convoy across the North East in protest against the UK Government's planned changes to inheritance tax.

The tractors travelled from Thainstone along the A96 to Aberdeen beach on Thursday.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in her budget that an inheritance tax of 50%, at an effective rate of 20%, will be imposed on farms worth over £1 million.

The government has said the change will not affect most farms.

Scott Campbell owns Kirkton Farm Kinellar which has been in his family for five generations.

Leading the trail of tractors, he explained the changes are a "huge worry" for the industry.

He said: "It's not just going to affect family farms but also tenant farms and it's going to affect rural communities and businesses that support farming such as mechanics, shed builders, machinery dealers, grain trailers and food processing. It's also going to affect food security."

Mr Campbell called on the government to reverse the proposed changes: "We all love our jobs here. We want to feed this nation and we want to continue to feed this nation.

"We're sick and tired of being over-regulated. Cheap food coming into this country and us getting pushed out of business by the government trying to tax us."

A UK Government spokesperson said: “Our commitment to farmers remains steadfast – we have committed £5 billion to the farming budget over two years, including more money than ever for sustainable food production, and we are developing a 25-year farming roadmap, focusing on how to make the sector more profitable in the decades to come.

“Our reform to Agricultural and Business Property Relief will impact around 500 estates a year. For these estates, inheritance tax will be at half the rate paid by others, with 10 years to pay the liability back interest free. This is a fair and balanced approach which fixes the public services we all rely on."

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