𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Stoic farmers have been left in tears over the Government’s inheritance tax raid.

That was the message by Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers’ Union, at his group’s yearly conference in Birmingham on Tuesday. It’s been a tough two years for the farming industry and that was acknowledged the moment that the NFU’s summit opened.

Mr Bradshaw admitted the sector “cannot ignore what’s happened” following a 14-month battle with the Government to scrap its inheritance tax raid. He told the full room how “farmer confidence has been the lowest on record” and “survival has felt impossible”.

The sector boss, alongside many in his union, wore a small yellow welly pin as a small nod to a charity called Yellow Wellies which advocates for mental wellbeing in the sector.

Wearing his bright pin, Mr Bradshaw added: “Not a single one of us wanted to spend 14 months fighting with the government”.

Many have taken their own lives in the last two years amid severe mental health strain.

It was at this conference last year that then Environment Secretary Steve Reed got a chilly reception.

The welcome had thawed significantly for incumbent Emma Reynolds who addressed the food growers in the afternoon.

Hundreds of farmers dropped their tools and descended on Whitehall for a number of protests last year, taking the fight to Keir Starmer’s doorstep.

While carrying the weight of extreme weather, profitability issues and changes to funding, the nation’s food growers battled against Rachel Reeves’s tax raid month after month.

Although Sir Keir eventually did what he does best and U-turned on the levy, the fight is clearly still on.

The higher £2.5million threshold was a step in the right direction but farmers “still believe the inheritance tax policy is fundamentally flawed”.

Mr Bradshaw demanded politicians make good on their public promises by turning pledges to axe the family farm tax into manifesto commitments.

While the scars of the last two years remain, Mr Bradshaw ultimately used his platform to look ahead.

He called on the government to recognise that “investment in food production today guarantees food security tomorrow”.