A delegation of farmers from Montgomeryshire met with Steve Witherden MP (Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr) on Saturday 25 January. The meeting was one of hundreds of events held across the UK of the NFU’s National Day of Unity to show the industry’s opposition to the UK Government’s proposed changes to agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR) since the budget announcement last year. The changes – which have been dubbed a ‘family farm tax’ – are likely to severely impact farming families across the UK and put the nation’s food security at risk.
Poignant
It was especially poignant to Morgan Tudor and grandfather Tom Tudor to host the meeting at Llysun, as Morgan took over the farm from his late father Richard Tudor in 2020. The family suffered the tragic loss of Richard after a farm accident involving a tractor whilst spreading fertiliser.
“If this policy had come into effect before losing my father it would have turned an already tragic situation into a crippling one,” explained Morgan Tudor. “I would not be farming today if my father had died under the new proposals”
According to conservative figures produced by the family, their inheritance tax bill could have been as high as £1.3 million at the time, the business was already struggling to cover repayment costs due to struggling milk prices and could not have feasibly afforded the tax repayments on top of that.
Threat to the future of farming
Morgan is the third generation now farming at Llysun, something which his grandparents Tom and Ann Tudor are extremely proud of as he has taken the business from strength to strength. But they feel the new proposals are a very real threat to their legacy and the future of farming.
Speaking after the meeting, NFU Cymru Montgomeryshire County Chairman said: “We are grateful to Steve Witherden MP for making the time to come and meet with us and hear our concerns around the UK Government’s changes to APR and BPR. Over the course of the meeting, the MP heard some heart-breaking stories from constituent farmers as to how this blunt policy will decimate many family farming businesses and wipe out any viable prospect of the next generation driving the business forward. I am sure our local political representative will take these concerns back to the UK Treasury and help us bring about a pause to these planned changes, in order that the true impact can be accurately assessed.”
Montgomeryshire is a substantially rural constituency and many businesses, both large and small, rely on agriculture. The wider economic implications of this policy change need serious consideration as it will impact rural schools, communities and the Welsh language.
NFU Cymru Dairy Board Chairman and Montgomeryshire farmer Jonathan Wilkinson added: “We need acceptance from senior ministers that the statistics that have been used are not truly reflective of the current situation, the consequences of these policy changes will be truly devastating to the industry.”