British farmers are gearing up for a major showdown with Labour MPs, as they prepare to descend on Westminster to protest changes in the recent Budget they say threaten the very future of family farms across the UK.
The National Farmers Union (NFU) has sounded the alarm over cuts to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR), which they argue will be a hammer blow to farming families already stretched to the limit.
Farmers say they simply can’t bear any more financial burden and have warned Labour’s Budget changes will have a knock-on effect on food prices, pushing up costs for consumers still struggling under the weight of the cost-of-living crisis.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw didn’t mince words: “Farmers and growers have been left reeling from the Budget changes, which demonstrate a fundamental lack of understanding of how the British farming sector is structured and managed,” he said. “The planned changes to APR and BPR need to be overturned – and quickly.”
Bradshaw added that farmers feel “rightly angry and deeply concerned” about the future of their family farms, especially after receiving assurances from ministers that these reliefs would remain untouched. “The Treasury’s claim that only one in four British farms will be affected is misleading. The £1 million APR cap shows how little this government understands the sector,” he said.
Bradshaw pointed out that few viable farms are valued under £1 million, and those that are often include only smallholdings or grazing land. “Family farms are not just small farms. Just because a farm is a valuable asset, doesn’t mean those who work it are wealthy. Every penny the Chancellor saves here will come directly from the next generation being forced to break up family farms.”
The NFU is now mobilising its members for a mass lobby on Tuesday, November 19, at Church House, London. The gathering will see farmers asking their MPs face-to-face if they truly support the Budget changes. Bradshaw urged the government to reverse what he calls an “awful family farm tax” before it’s too late.
“We’re urging MPs to understand the consequences of their actions,” he said. “British farmers will be asking them to look them in the eye and tell them where they stand. My message to ministers is simple: do the right thing and reverse this dreadful attack on family farms.”
Budget Cuts Impacting Farming Sector
The NFU, representing 70% of farmers in England and Wales, is rallying its members ahead of the November lobby. Key Budget announcements affecting the sector include:
- APR and BPR Cuts: From April 2026, relief will only apply in full for the first £1 million of agricultural and business assets, with 50% relief thereafter. Farmers warn this move will force the breakup of family farms.
- Accelerated Phase-Out of Direct Payments: From 2025, no farm will receive more than £8,000 in direct payments, a drastic reduction of over 90% for some.
- Wage Hikes: The National Living Wage is set to rise by 6.7%, reaching £12.21, while the National Minimum Wage for 18 to 20-year-olds will jump by 16.3% to £10.00 per hour. Farmers say the wage hike will only increase their financial pressures.
With the UK’s agricultural sector already grappling with a £2.4 billion budget in England alone, the NFU warns these new measures will strain farmers’ finances further, leaving the future of British farming hanging in the balance.
The stakes are high for British farmers, as they prepare to rally in London, standing shoulder-to-shoulder to demand that ministers reconsider policies they say threaten not only their livelihoods but the country’s food security as well.
