NFU Deputy President calls for farmers to stay united in fight against family farm tax

Mr Exwood told Surrey farmers he is “incredibly proud” of how thousands of farmers and the public came together in London last week to deliver a clear message to the government and said it is vital for this spirit to continue.

Mr Exwood was speaking to more than 50 NFU members at the NFU Surrey Annual County Meeting, held at Dorking Golf Club on Thursday evening.

He spoke about government’s planned changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) which threaten the future of family farms and the rural economy and, alongside other measures in the Budget, could lead to food price rises in supermarkets.

Thousands of farmers and members of the public went to London on Tuesday, November 19 to stage a protest and, on the same day, 1,800 NFU members engaged with their MPs in Westminster to highlight the devastating impact the family farm tax will have, if it goes ahead.

Mr Exwood said: “This is one of the most challenging times I’ve known in farming and for you to all turn out tonight to work together means a lot to me.

“I felt so proud of how everyone came together in London. It was an incredible day and thousands came out to deliver a clear message, in the right way, with the public on our side.

“We need to be united and stick together on this.

“Many farmers are really struggling out there due to this terrible policy and we really need to make sure we look out for each other.”

The government announced in the recent Budget that it will reform APR and BPR from April 2026.

This will mean farm businesses will need to pay a tax rate of 20% of agricultural assets valued over £1 million.

The NFU rejects the government’s claims that around three quarters of farm businesses in England will be unaffected by the changes to APR and highlights the contradictions between different government departments.

The Treasury claims that 73% of APR claims are below £1 million and so would be unaffected. However, Defra’s own figures show that only 66% of farms are worth more than the new £1 million threshold.

The Treasury’s figures are based on last year’s APR claims and do not consider farms that have also claimed BPR for diversified aspects of their businesses.

They also include a substantial number of smallholdings, with 27% of those Treasury figures being for assets under £250,000, and another 23% under £500,000.

Further analysis, after the NFU consulted with former Treasury and Office for Budget Responsibility analysts, reveal that 75% of commercial farms will be impacted.

Mr Exwood said: “This situation has put an end to any doubt about the need for a professional lobbying organisation like the NFU.

“There is much more to be done but we will not give up or let this go away and we will keep fighting.”

The meeting also heard that Jim Simmons will continue as NFU Surrey Chair for the next two years and Andrew Compton will become NFU Surrey Vice Chair at NFU Conference in February next year, taking over from Paula Mathews, who was thanked for her dedication to the role.