Farmers have been clear, changes being introduced by this Labour government will devastate the industry, put their livelihood and food security in the UK at risk.
It’s a view I share and concerns me greatly how ignorant government is when it comes to farming and rural issues.
Farming is not something taught through textbooks, it’s something which is learnt through generations of farming, and passed down to the next.
If we lose this industry, we lose the irreplaceable knowledge of these farmers and without this, there simply is no future for British Agriculture.
From next year government will impose inheritance tax for farms passed down through generations. Many will be forced to sell off land to raise the cash to pay the tax bill, in turn making the business unviable. Other say the change will bankrupt them. Fewer farms will also result in less local produce, making the country more reliant on imports which will in turn push up prices at the tills.
A new fertiliser levy will also increase for both farmers and the consumer. Warnings from industry of the impact it will have on the whole supply chain and on global competitiveness have been ignored by government.
In another devastating blow, as part of the wider Planning and Infrastructure Bill, farmers wanting to sell some of their land, could be significantly out of pocket.
Changes to compulsory purchase orders (CPO), will allow local authorities to buy land at its current price rather than the value of what it would be if it were to be developed, as previously was the case.
I will not sit quietly while government destroys this industry. I will keep fighting these changes and make sure the voice of Tatton farmers is heard in Westminster.
