Yahoo News Lancs farmers at London protest say Rachel Reeves 'reluctant' over talks
Farmers across the country descended onto Westminster this week.
The agricultural world has been left reeling following the Labour Government's latest Budget update on October 30. The first Autumn Budget for the party in 14 years saw Chancellor Rachel Reeves detailing plans for the farming sector, setting out a so-called 'Tractor Tax'.
Under this, Inheritance Tax will be charged at 20 per cent on agricultural assets above £1 million, with the Chancellor saying this threshold could be around £3 million in some cases. However, protests in London on Tuesday (November 19), showed much of the industry are unhappy with these plans, set to come into place in 2026.
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After the Budget was unveiled, LancsLive spoke to Becki Fielding who works on her family farm, Pulford Farm Dairies on Belthorn Road in Blackburn. She said the announcement was "just another blow" to the industry since Brexit and many farmers are fed up with the lack of support.
She said: "It very much feels like, to the whole farming community, that the government just don't want farmers anymore. They're quite happy to import, they don't need us and they don't want us.
"That's what it comes across as, that we're very disposable." Talking after the protest, Becki said the day went well and crowds showed just how important the issue really is to the agricultural sector.
Becki explained: "It was a great show of solidarity from the farmers. MPs meeting with my MP went as well as could be expected. However, Rachel Reeves is reluctant to come to the table to discuss the matter. The ball is in her court now."
Lancaster and Wyre MP Cat Smith has spoken out about her support for British farmers. On X, the politician shared an image of herself with a poster reading: "I'm backing British farming."
Her post reads: "#BackBritishFarming I’m proud of the farmers in Lancaster and Fleetwood and will stand up for them."
Environment Secretary Steve Reed has said he felt the "anguish of the countryside" after Tuesday's protests which saw thousands of farmers taking a stand against the Budget, the PA News Agency reports. Speaking to the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), Steve Reed said: "The truth is hard data, independently verified, shows that the vast majority of claimants will still pay nothing, but the reforms will raise money that will help fix the public services that rural and farming communities rely on just as much as anyone else in the country."
He explained the protests were "the final straw" and added: "Those straws have been piling up for many decades now, they are the frustrations of rural communities across Britain who feel misunderstood, neglected and frankly disrespected. This isn’t just about tax or even just about farming, important though those things are, it is about a whole community demanding to be treated with respect."
