Thousands of British farmers converged on Parliament on Tuesday to protest a tax hike they argue will deliver a “hammer blow” to struggling family farms.
British farmers are typically less militant than their European counterparts, and the U.K. has not seen the large-scale demonstrations that have disrupted cities in France and other countries. Now, however, farmers vow to escalate their actions if the government does not respond.
The controversy centers on the government’s recent decision to eliminate a tax break introduced in the 1990s, which exempts agricultural property from inheritance tax. Beginning in April 2026, farms valued at more than £1 million ($1.3 million) will face a 20% tax when passed on to the next generation.
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“Everyone’s mad,” said Olly Harrison, co-organiser of the protest, which filled the streets around Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Downing Street office. Many, he said, are ready “to take to the streets and block roads and go full French.” Organizers had asked protesters not to bring large farm machinery into central London, but a few tractors rolled past Downing Street adorned with banners reading “the final straw” and “no farmers, no food.” They were cheered on by a crowd estimated at 13,000 by police, with some holding signs proclaiming “Stand with a farmer, not Starmer.”
Children on toy tractors circled Parliament Square following a rally featuring speakers such as former “Top Gear” host and celebrity farmer Jeremy Clarkson. Meanwhile, another 1,800 farmers participated in a “mass lobby” in Parliament, organized by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU).
“The human impact of this policy is simply not acceptable; it’s wrong,” said NFU President Tom Bradshaw. “It’s kicking the legs out from under British food security.”
Farmers say their struggles are compounded by volatile weather linked to climate change, global instability, and the economic upheaval following Britain’s 2020 departure from the European Union. Many believe the Labour government’s tax decision, intended to raise billions for public services, is the breaking point. “Four out of the last five years, we’ve lost money,” said Harrison, a fifth-generation farmer growing cereal crops near Liverpool. “The only thing that’s kept me going is doing it for my kids. And maybe a little bit of appreciation on the land allows you to keep borrowing, to keep going. But now that’s just disappeared overnight.”
The government, led by Starmer, argues that about 75% of farms will remain unaffected by the tax, with existing exemptions allowing a farming couple to pass on up to £3 million ($3.9 million) tax-free. The 20% rate is also significantly lower than the standard 40% inheritance tax on other property in the U.K.
Labour spokeswoman Camilla Marshall acknowledged the decision was “difficult” but said it would not be reconsidered.
Proponents of the tax argue it targets wealthy individuals who have purchased farmland as a tax shelter, inflating prices and making it harder for young farmers to enter the industry. “It’s become the most effective way for the super rich to avoid paying their inheritance tax,” Environment Secretary Steve Reed wrote in The Daily Telegraph. High land prices, he added, are “robbing young farmers of the dream of owning their own farm.”
However, the NFU claims more than 60% of working farms could be affected by the tax, noting that while farms may be high in value, their profits are often minimal. Recent government data shows that income for many types of farms fell significantly in the year ending February 2024, with average earnings ranging from £17,000 ($21,000) for livestock farms to £143,000 ($180,000) for specialist poultry farms.
The past decade has been turbulent for British farmers. Many supported Brexit, hoping to escape the EU’s complex Common Agricultural Policy. Since then, reforms have included payments for restoring nature and promoting biodiversity alongside food production. While some welcomed these changes, many feel goodwill has been eroded by bureaucratic mismanagement, inadequate subsidies, and trade deals with countries like Australia and New Zealand that allow cheap imports to flood the market.
“The government has completely blown their trust with the industry,” said NFU Deputy President David Exwood.
For farmers like Heidi Fermor, who helps run her family’s farm in southeast England, the protest was a first. “Government officials have no idea about the reality of farmers’ lives,” she said. “Farming is hard. We’re very privileged, we have a lovely life, but it’s hard. We want to farm for life, for future generations, not just for today.”