Angry breeders and growers from the United Kingdom are protesting in London on Tuesday November 19 against a budget measure, passed last month, namely the reduction in the ceiling for exemption from inheritance fees. From 2026, holdings worth more than £1 million will be subject to a 20% inheritance tax. According to the unions, this law would affect 70,000 farms.
3 mins
With our correspondent in London, Emeline Vin
Dozens of tractors parade at the foot of Big Ben, London. On the signs: “ No to inheritance fees for family farms “. Until now, British farms could benefit from an exemption from inheritance tax on their goods and properties, a measure intended to facilitate the takeover of farms.
The British Labor government, however, announced on October 30, when presenting its first draft budget, that this exemption would no longer apply to farms whose value exceeds one million pounds (1.20 million euros) at from April 2026. These farms will now be subject to a tax rate of 20%, or half the usual rate of inheritance tax.
“ Farms will have to be divided »
“ In our region, a medium-sized farm is worth more than 3 million euros, and yet farmers do not generate enough profit to be able to pay inheritance costs in the event of death. Farms will have to be divided », Regrets John, a breeder from the east of England.
All farmers mobilized wear khaki raincoats and rubber boots. Andrew brought a bag of his potatoes and worries about the UK’s food sovereignty: ” If owners have to sell part of their land, this will make farms even less viable. The risk is that these lands will be sold to multinationals, for ecological projects, but these plots will stop producing food “, he explains.
“ They make things even more complicated »
A quarter of farms could be affected by this measure: 100 times more than government estimates. At 20, James always planned to take over the family dairy farm, but the reform makes him doubt his vocation. “ This is a new factor to take into account. It’s already a very difficult job financially, they make things even more complicated… », laments the young man.
Right-wing and far-right parties, such as the populist and fiercely pro-Brexit Nigel Farage, brought their support and presence to the rally. However, it is since Brexit that British farmers have suffered from labor shortages and a funding gap, no longer benefiting from funds from the European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
This mobilization of breeders echoes that in France. On the other side of the Channel, French farmers also continued on Tuesday a vast protest movement that began the day before. For their part, they oppose the signing by the European Union of a free trade agreement with the Latin American countries of Mercosur, among other major meat producers.
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