News

Militant farmers to stage a ‘national strike’ against Rachel Reeves’ inheritance tax raids – with meat and crops set to be withheld from supermarkets

Militant farmers will hold back meat and crops from supermarkets next week as part of a ‘national strike’ against Labour’s inheritance tax raids.

The direct action will be taken by ‘several thousand’ UK farmers over a week starting from Sunday.

It coincides with over 10,000 farmers heading to London for a march against the punishing tax next Tuesday, November 19.

Almost 2,000 farmers are also expected to meet up with MPs in a ‘mass lobbying event’ by the National Farmers’ Union on the same day.

It comes after Chancellor Rachel Reeves introduced IHT on all previously exempt farms worth over £1m, at a rate of 20 per cent, in her autumn Budget.

Farmers fear the change will prevent them passing their assets down through the generations as they will be forced to sell off parts of their businesses to pay the punishing death duties.

Protest group Enough Is Enough last night vowed to put a shot across the Government’s bows as industry anger mounts.

In a statement, the Enough is Enough group said: ‘British farmers have simply had enough and those who are able will be going on strike for the first time in history.

‘We are being suffocated by a government that seems determined to destroy our livelihoods, our future and our ability to feed the nation.

‘We simply cannot allow the destruction of our industry to continue and responsibility to feed our nation be taken away.

‘This is a last resort but we as farmers are in despair as we simply cannot afford to provide food to the public.’

Organisers said the strike will not involve dairy farmers because milk and eggs cannot be held back.

But the action could hit meat supplies, as UK farms have an 80 per cent share of the British beef market, while 90 per cent of fresh poultry in supermarkets is British-reared.

Meanwhile, the UK’s 100,000 farms produce 66 per cent of the country’s lamb, and around 50 per cent pork.

Some 81 per cent of wheat consumed in Britain is produced here, nearly all barley and oats and 56 per cent of vegetables.

One farmer taking part in the strike said: ‘Our food security is at significant risk as a consequence of what they (Labour) have done. We’ll have to go on strike because they only seem to listen to people who do.’

Welsh hill farmer Gareth Wyn Jones, 57, said he has reluctantly decided to take part in the strike because he fears the future of the industry is at risk.

He said: ‘We don’t want people in the shops panic buying and we don’t want total food shortages but it’s a shot across the bows against the government. Further action could follow.

‘My family has been farming for 375 years and I fear my generation will be the last.’

Tim Taylor, one of the organisers of the campaign in England, who runs an animal feed business and is a Tory member of Fenland District Council in Cambridgeshire, said: ‘The aim is to disrupt but not to decimate the supermarket shelves.. We would like to think this would achieve public support.’

Charlotte Ashley, 36, who keeps cows and sheep with husband Roy, 40, near Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria, said they are not in a position to strike but added: ‘I think that withholding non-perishable items for a week could be some starting point.

‘Farmers 100 per cent need to send a clear message to Rachel Reeves.’

Mental health support lines for farmers have been ‘inundated’ since the announcement by Ms Reeves, leaders of the planned strike say.

Last week, the family of South Yorkshire farmer John Charlesworth, 78, revealed he took his own life the day before the Budget to prevent his children being hit by IHT.

Clive Bailye (CORR), who runs The Farming Forum discussion website, said he expected 10,000 farmers to turn up at next week’s rally.

Staffordshire farmer Mr Bailye said of the strike: ‘I can see it happening, leading to some shortages. Slightly more militant groups are talking of French-style protests, too.’

He said the event aimed to be ‘a show of strength – for farmers and their families to come to Westminster but without their tractors’.

Mr Bailye also said farmers are planning to stop taking sewage slurry from water companies – giving the government a further ‘s***storm’ to deal with.

Separately, farmers plan to target Welsh Labour’s autumn conference in Llandudno, this Friday, but have not revealed details.

Although official data states the average farm is 88 hectares – some 217 acres – and land prices average nearly £12,000 per acre, the government maintains IHT changes will not affect ‘the vast majority of farmers’.

It adds: ‘This is a fair and balanced approach that protects the family farm while fixing the public services.’

Related Posts

Why I started the petition for another General Election: ‘Fed up’ pub landlord reveals what sparked viral campaign to get rid of Labour – as map shows how many people near you are part of the 2million to sign

The man behind a viral petition demanding a General Election has revealed why he started – as it clocks over more than 2.5million signatures. Pub landlord Michael Westwood said he decided to launch the petition having seen Keir Starmer and his MPs go back on their manifesto promises and repeatedly talk down the prospects for the country. The poorly received budget from Rachel Reeves that saw employers hit with an increase in national insurance tax was a key factor in his decision to launch the petition.

Mohamed Al Fayed is now accused of abusing a dozen men who worked at Harrods after more than 420 women came forward with horror claims

A dozen men who worked for Mohamed Al Fayed have made claims of abuse against the disgraced former Harrods boss. The men have alleged harassment, bullying and homophobic abuse by Fayed, with some claiming they suffered PTSD and recurring trauma from their experiences. The claims of more than 420 women of rape or 𝑠e𝑥ual abuse by the former boss are being dealt with by the Justice for Harrods Survivors group.

Cop29 climate deal worth £240BILLION is finally struck but excludes China – as developing countries say the sum is ‘too little, too late’

Wealthy countries yesterday agreed to triple the amount of aid they pay to developing nations to tackle climate change in a last-minute deal at the Cop29 summit. Developed countries including the UK, US and EU nations agreed to pay $300billion (£239billion) a year – up from the $100billion they pay now. The sum was described by the United Nations as ‘an insurance policy for humanity’. But the action – which excludes the world’s biggest polluter China – was dismissed as ‘too little, too late’ by developing countries.

Highly paid prisoners are earning more on average than the prison officers who guard them, shocking figures reveal

Britain’s highest-paid inmates are earning more on average than the prison officers who guard them, shocking data shows. Last year’s highest-earning prisoner had a net salary after tax of £36,715, while prison officers working outside London are paid £32,448. Nine other inmates had net earnings of more than £22,900 last year, Freedom of Information figures obtained by the Sunday Telegraph show.

Laos doctor who treated ‘methanol poisoning’ victim, 19, has told of how she went from confused to comatose in half an hour then died nine days later

A doctor who treated a teenage backpacker killed by poisoned alcohol in Laos has told how she went from confused to suffering a coma within just half an hour. Holly Bowles, 19, of Melbourne, Australia, died from suspected methanol poisoning on Friday during her travels, just one day after the death of her best friend Bianca Jones. Dr Yaher, from the district hospital in the town of Vang Vieng, was the first medical professional to treat Ms Bowles – one of six tourists who lost their life after consuming spirits contaminated with the chemical methanol.

Blinken mocked for hosting State Department ‘cry sessions’ after officials have ‘personal meltdown’ over Trump victory

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is under fire after being accused of holding therapy ‘cry sessions’ for department staffers upset over Donald Trump’s election victory. Blinken, who is expected to be replaced by Marco Rubio in January, has frequently clashed with the Republican-controlled Congress, being held in contempt in September for skipping a hearing on the disastrous exit from Afghanistan. California Congressman and Trump ally Darrell Issa wrote an open letter to Blinken smashing the State Department for the rumored counseling sessions over Trump’s win, calling them ‘disturbing.’

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *