Farmers explain why they gathered at Leicester supermarkets

Farmers displayed 'where will the food come from' banners across the county
-Credit:Simon Orson


Farmers gathered at Leicestershire supermarkets today (Friday January 17) to hammer home the “impact” of government inheritance tax changes. Tractors parked outside several stores in a bid to raise awareness of the alterations which they claim will “break up family farms” and “saddle” farming families with “huge debt”.

Supermarkets including Asda in Thurmaston and Sainsbury’s in Hamilton were on the famers' radars on Friday, with many speaking out against the changes. Among those affected is Kerry Mota-Stubbs, a farmer from Waltham on the Wolds near Melton, who said the government's changes were making her and her husband reconsider their planned investments on their farm.

Mrs Mota-Stubbs, who runs a small livestock farm of 25 acres which has sheep, pigs, chickens and geese, told LeicestershireLive: “We managed to scrape together some money to buy five acres [to start with] and get planning permission to build a barn and get planning permission to live temporarily on site, which is the only way to do it if you weren’t born into it or are very rich. We are the first generation and we have two sons and [we] are hoping to pass it down to them. But we are nothing like the size of most family farms.”

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READ MORE: Leicestershire farmers 'will be saddled with huge debt' amid inheritance tax changes

Mrs Mota-Stubbs, who was speaking from outside the Hamilton branch of Aldi, said she and her husband were planning to build a new home as part of growing their farm. Investment would also see the couple replace their current ageing tractor - as well as buy around 10 more acres of land - but these moves would see them fall into the inheritance tax threshold.

She said: “This threshold makes you think whether you want to do that.”

Mrs Mota-Stubbs said Friday's gathering was to bring the "impact" of the government's inheritance tax changes to the "forefront". She said farmers also wanted to raise awareness of the profits that they make from the average item that they produce.

She said: “It’s just all these things one after another. It just feels we have no support from the government now and that they are trying to get rid of us. It would be easy for all these farmers to sell off and walk into the sunset with the money, and then where would we be as a nation?”

Farmers across Leicestershire were rocked by inheritance tax relief changes
Farmers across Leicestershire were rocked by inheritance tax relief changes -Credit:Simon Orson

A government spokesperson said its commitment to farmers “remains steadfast” and that its decision was a “fair and balanced approach which fixes the public services we all rely on."

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Previously, the Labour government said that its changes to Agriculture and Business Property Relief - an effective inheritance tax rate of 20 per cent on farmland and property over £1 million to be introduced from April 2026 - would only affect 500 estates a year. The government also said that two people with farmland, depending on their circumstances, would be able to pass on farmland and property with a value of £3 million without paying inheritance tax.

The National Farmers Union (NFU) said today's events showed the “strength of feeling" from those affected. NFU president Tom Bradshaw said: “While these aren't NFU events, they continue to show the strength of feeling among farmers and the wider agricultural community in Leicestershire and beyond.

"Neither supermarkets nor their customers are responsible for this policy; in fact, retailers are increasingly vocal in their support for farmers on this, and the public have been overwhelmingly so since day one. We encourage anyone attending these events to be mindful of the need to ensure that public support for this vital issue is retained. Farmers’ and growers’ voices need and deserve to be heard.”

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