Northumberland is the 6th largest county in the country and the least densely populated. With 840 farms across the county producing milk, vegetables, animal feed, cereal crops, beef and world famous Northumbrian lamb the county is considerably reliant on the agricultural sector.
The Northumberland Save The Farmers. Save Our Food. Save Your Future rally will mirror similar gatherings at Local Authority centres all over the UK, on the same day and at the same time, as farmers voice their anger and alarm at the Labour government’s October Budget. The announcement by Chancellor Rachel Reeves that she was removing Inheritance Tax relief on UK farming businesses sent shock waves around the country, in particular the farming community and more specifically the family farm.
Labour’s re-introduction of IHT on farms will have a crippling effect on farms whose landholdings make them ‘asset rich but cash poor’, resulting in many farming families having no choice but to sell to pay the tax.
Northumberland Woodsman Kezz Petronelli-Stone who has been helping to organise this campaign will be driving one of his forestry vehicles 25 miles down the A1 on Wednesday 15th to protest in Morpeth.
“This unexpected imposition of inheritance tax is going to be the final straw for many farming families who are already struggling to maintain their food production in the face of massive cost inflation and dwindling support. It will do untold damage to the farmers who are the backbone of food production in the UK, at a critical time of global uncertainty when our food production has never been more vital. Farming is a 24/7/365 vocation, but every farmer who can ill afford to spare the time and diesel will be driving with me to Morpeth, and we will do everything in our power to make our protest heard in Whitehall.”
Farmers Unite will be driving their tractors & pickups in convoy through Morpeth town centre on Wednesday 15th of January, arriving at County Hall for 11:00. The convoy will hear speeches from key representatives like Rachel Hallos of the NFU, and others on the implications not just for farmers but the many businesses in Northumberland dependent on the farming industry.
30 year old Ben Leyland from Greymare Farm near Belford says: "I can't sleep at night worrying. I just don't understand. I already work all hours, where am I supposed to find this money? What will happen to me and the farm my family worked so hard to buy?”
North Northumberland Farmer Dan Spours who has two young children, says: "As a tenant farmer the IHT doesn't directly affect me, but I've already had to lose two members of staff due to recent tax rises & decoupling payments, now I don't have the manpower to look after my stock so I'm having to sell many of them."