Farmers ‘can cause difficulty’ says Herefordshire farmer

Farmers “can easily get the shelves empty” if the government fails to listen to their concerns, a Herefordshire farmer has warned on national television.

Former Lord-Lieutenant of Herefordshire Jo Hilditch told GB News presenter Dawn Neesom that tax changes on farms announced in the recent Budget were “another nail in the coffin”, which left her “furious and sad”.

“I haven’t seen our local Green MP supporting her rural constituents at all so far,” she said from her mixed farm near Lyonshall in the northwest of the county.

She intends to join a “mass lobby” of farmers in central London tomorrow (Tuesday November 19) to protest specifically against planned cuts to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR).

“No doubt (food) prices will go up if this crusade continues,” Ms Hitditch said. “And this will keep rumbling – we are resolute.”

As part of this, farmers will “take food for food banks” as “we want solidarity from people, rather than have them irritated at us for jumping up and down”, she added.

Jane Bassett, Midlands chair of the National Farmers Union (NFU) which is organising the event, said it “will be an opportunity for farmers in our counties to stand up and be heard and stop this destructive family farm tax”.

“Just because a farm has valuable assets, it does not mean the farmers themselves are wealthy,” she added.

“When the younger generation want to take that family farm on, they will be forced to sell-up just to pay the tax bill.”

NFU president Tom Bradshaw told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips he did “not for one moment condone” withholding food from supermarkets in protest.

“That is not an NFU tactic, we do not support emptying supermarket shelves, but I do completely understand the strength of feeling that there is amongst farmers,” he said.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said during a visit to Wales on Friday: “For most couples with a farm wanting to hand on to their children, it’s £3 million before anybody pays a penny in inheritance tax.

“The vast majority of farms are going to be totally unaffected by this.”

A separate farmers’ demonstration to coincide with the London action is planned in Ross-on-Wye.