Angry farmers could restrict food supplies across the nation next year if Sir Keir Starmer’s government refuses to halt its attack on the industry.
Andrew Ward, one of the farmers behind a mass rally in London last month, warned the Prime Minister the industry “will not back down” on his inheritance tax raid and subsidy changes.
He said farmers would first take part in two or three peaceful events before they considered carefully planned militant action potentially for next year.
Andrew, 63, who farms at Leadenham, near Sleaford, Lincolnshire, said: “The Government is not listening at the moment. All I will say is that the five of us [organisers of London’s protest] are determined that we will keep going with this and if the Government doesn’t listen, we will not back down now that we’ve started on this.
“We’ve got a lot of public support and eventually we will have to do something far more severe and restrict food supplies around the country.
“We’re not doing that yet. We don’t want to do that. That’s the last thing we want to do but if the Government won’t listen, they’re going to leave us with no alternative.”
More than 45,000 farmers descended on London last month to voice their anger at Rachel Reeves’s inheritance tax changes at October’s Budget.
But many have stopped short of taking more severe action so far which could compromise huge public support for the industry.
Andrew said: “We continuously say we don’t want tractors disrupting the public. We don’t want everybody’s life disrupted at the moment before Christmas so we need to think about it sympathetically. But at the same time we do realise these things have to be done and we have to keep stepping up in the severity of what we do until we get to the Government so that they listen because they clearly do not understand our figures, don’t understand how farms are set up and don’t understand how we produce food.”
Ms Reeves announced that inheritance tax relief for farms would be limited to £1million, meaning all assets above that threshold passed down to the next generation would be taxed.
There is a higher threshold of £3 million for couples passing on their farms.
The Treasury says around 500 estates a year are expected to pay inheritance tax under the changes but campaigners warned it could impact around 75,000 farms.
The Daily Express’s Save Britain’s Family Farms crusade has demanded Ms Reeves U-turns on the inheritance tax raid.
There is also huge anger about changes to grants and subsidies which make farms less profitable after yhe Chancellor proposed to accelerate the end of direct support payments.
Father of two Andrew said the Government’s policies risks making the family’s farm unviable for his seed manager daughter Sam, 38, and grandson Oscar, seven, who have a huge interest in the industry.
Second generation farmer Andrew said has machinery, infrastructure and buildings worth millions of pounds on the 1,500 acres that they farm – which would result in a sizable tax bill on the 600 acres they own.
He added: “My grandson Oscar wants to come on the farm at every opportunity. He wants to know what the machinery is doing. I’m always talking about farming with him. He rings me up himself about the farm. He is really, really interested.
“That could change in 20 years’ time but at least he’s very interested now in everything we’re doing. There’s potential there.”
Meanwhile figures have shown Sir Keir inheritance tax raid which could be the death knell for farming which has already had a 40% plummet in farmers under the age of 45 since 1990.
By comparison, those who are 65 and over have almost doubled from 21% to 38%.
The median age of the workforce has increased from 53 to 61 over the 34 years, the figures from the Taxpayers’ Alliance showed.
Shadow Environment Secretary Victoria Atkins MP, said: “Earlier this week, I met a farmer who told me that he already knows four young farmers who have lost their entry-level jobs as a direct result of Rachel Reeves’ budget. This is unforgivable.
“It is essential that we are supporting young people to come into the farming industry.
“Labour’s Family Farm Tax will deprive the children of farming families of their farming future. Land will be sold off and simply won’t be available for new entrants to the sector. Labour must u-turn on this vindictive policy, which will destroy British farming as we know it.”
Tory MP Greg Smith said: “The evidence is clear up and down the land, Labour want to end family farming in the UK. Their complete disregard for real stories, real examples, real case studies of how the Family Farm Tax will cause farmers to have to sell up, shows how little they care.
“The only rational explanation is that this is a deliberate policy to turn our farmland into solar parks and housing.”
A Government spokesman 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.”
