This message comes following the new UK Government’s first budget with the union expressing its fears for the future of the family farm following the changes to APR and BPR announced in today’s Autumn statement.
'Threat to our family farm'
NFU Cymru President Aled Jones said: “The changes announced today are not only a threat to our family farm structure and our tenanted sector but also to our nation’s food security. The sort of restructuring we are likely to see in response to these changes is likely to mean there will be less land available for tenancies and contracts, the lifeblood of small family farm businesses and a critical point of entry for young and first-time farmers.
“NFU Cymru has written to the Chancellor twice and all Welsh MPs on this issue. In addition, the union and its members have raised this extensively when we have met with politicians at party conferences as well as in their constituencies. Despite all of these efforts, today’s budget confirms the UK Government’s intention to reform these reliefs and that will come as very disturbing news to farming families the length and breadth of Wales. This also goes against the previous assurance given by the Defra Secretary of State that the Labour Party had no plans to change Inheritance Tax, including APR.
Misguided
“This tax-raid on agricultural property and businesses is misguided and will seriously harm our family farms, rural communities and our ability to produce affordable food for the nation, whilst delivering negligible revenue to the Treasury in terms of overall government spending.
“The changes announced today will see agricultural assets over £1m attract an inheritance tax at a rate of 20% from April 2026, something which will bring the majority of Wales’ family farms into the scope of this tax. Just because a family farm may look like a valuable asset on paper, that doesn’t mean those who work it are wealthy and able to meet a large tax bill.
Breakup of family
“Whilst there is typically a lot of capital involved in farm businesses, the return on the capital employed in farming, after taking into account a wage for the farmer, averages less than 1%. Such a rate of return is completely insufficient to pay an inheritance tax charge of 20% upon the generational transfer of that farm. Unless we see an urgent reconsideration by the UK Government, I am afraid we are going to see the breakup of multi-generational family farms.”