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Scrap, don’t delay the family farm death tax – Samuel Kurtz MS

Team @ AberdareOnline05 mins

The phrase “No farmers, no food” highlights the crucial role farmers play in ensuring food security. It’s a simple yet powerful statement emphasizing the direct link between farming practices and the availability of food for everyone. The Wildlife Trusts use this phrase to emphasize the importance of farmers to the UK food system and to highlight the need for government support to protect the livelihoods of farmers and ensure a sustainable food supply. 

Here’s a more detailed look at why this phrase resonates and what it means:

  • Direct Connection:Farmers are the primary producers of food, from growing crops to raising livestock. Without farmers, there would be a significant reduction in the food supply available to the public. 
  • Food Security:The phrase emphasizes the importance of ensuring that farmers can continue to produce food sustainably. This includes addressing issues like unfair pricing, environmental concerns, and government policies that impact farming. 
  • Economic Impact:Farming is a significant part of the economy, and the well-being of farmers directly impacts rural communities and the overall agricultural sector. 
  • Sustainability:The phrase also touches upon the need for sustainable farming practices to ensure that future generations can also benefit from a reliable food supply. This includes addressing issues like climate change, soil health, and biodiversity loss. https://nofarmersnofoodshop.co.uk/

Following a report from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee, where MPs have called for a year-long delay to proposed changes in farm inheritance tax. Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs has reiterated Welsh Conservative calls to scrap the plans altogether.

The Labour Government plan will see inherited agricultural assets over £1m taxed at 20% starting in April 2026, sparking widespread protests from farmers. Critics, including the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) and the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), argue the policy could drag the average family farm into the higher tax bracket. 

Commenting Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Samuel Kurtz MS, said:

“UK Labour’s reckless inheritance tax reforms threaten the livelihoods of hardworking farming families and risk decimating the rural economy, yet Labour continues to pile on the pressure without understanding the consequences.

“After the Welsh Labour Government have already clobbered the industry with their, Wales-wide Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ), botched Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) and their failure to control bovine TB, these unfair changes add insult to injury. Instead of offering support, both Governments are driving rural communities into financial instability

“These changes will threaten lives and livelihoods in rural Wales, and simply delaying these plans is not enough. It is high time the Labour Government realises this and scraps these damaging proposals entirely. Otherwise, we risk not only the dismantling of family farms but also a serious threat to our nation’s food security.”

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