We shouldn't just be scrapping the inheritance tax assault on farmers, the entire approach to British agriculture needs to change.
This attack from Reeves did not come at a positive time for farmers, in fact it's one of the worst I have known during my time in agriculture. It has been brutal. As anyone with any experience will agree...
What needs to change?
Number one priority?
Of course, scrap the tax changes. If it were up to me, I'd abolish inheritance tax for everyone, not just the farmers.
But separate to that debate, we need a whole raft of proactive policies to reinvigorate British farming. This has been entirely forgotten thanks to Reeves. We've all been so preoccupied battling her spitefulness, nothing else has even been discussed.
Suggestions...
- Stop supermarkets from exploiting farmers with unfair contracts.
- Get the public sector buying British, enforced 75% for schools, hospitals and other institutions. -
- Simplify the process for British farmers to bid for contracts. Give priority to our farms. -
- A national 'buy British' campaign. Be proud, shout about it. Put our flag at the heart of it. -
- Enforce clear labelling. Brits want to buy British, make that as easy as possible. -
- Encourage diversification. -
- Massively simplify planning, reduce the power of the council bureaucrats. -
- Boost farming apprenticeships, our industry is dying off. -
- A red tape bonfire visible from space. -
- Let farmers FARM. -
- Ensure every farming policy is rural-proofed, with genuine input from actual farmers, not just urban civil servants.
British farming should be a global success story, not an industry in relentless decline. We've spent months fighting to put British farming back to what was already an incredibly perilous position.
Reeves, Starmer, Lammy, Rayner. They do NOT understand farming. As one of the very few farming MPs, I can promise you that. Nor do they really care.
We need to overhaul the ENTIRE approach to British farming, starting with overturning these tax changes and getting farmers back to a very weak square one.
See you all at the protest later.