The Liberal Democrats have raised concerns over the budget creating a 'lost generation' of farmers due to a 'double hammer blow' to rural communities.
In the budget, the chancellor announced sweeping changes to the agricultural property relief scheme, which is set to impact around 70,000 farms .
The Liberal Democrats has called on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to reverse this change to 'protect' farmers and rural communities.
The party has raised concerns that it would force many small family farms to sell up, with young people 'robbed of a future' in farming as a result.
It has also published new analysis of the autumn budget which points to a £70m cut to Defra’s food and farming budget.
This is due to a fall in the department's funding of 1.9% a year over two years, in real terms, despite industry calls for an increased agricultural budget.
The Lib Dems said this would mean even less government support for farmers who 'are already struggling after years of chaos and uncertainty'.
The warnings come as the party's leader Ed Davey visited an agricultural college in Maidenhead earlier today (1 November), along with Lib Dem MP Joshua Reynolds.
Following the visit, Mr Davey warned that the new Labour government was at risk of creating a 'lost generation' of farmers.
He said: "Young people will lose the opportunity to keep the farms their families have run for generations, while at the same time they are seeing government support for farming slashed."
Mr Davey added: “Hitting British farmers who put food on our tables only risks making the cost-of-living crisis worse.
"After years of being taken for granted by the Conservative Party, rural communities should have been properly supported in this budget.
“The chancellor now needs to listen to rural communities, reverse these measures and ensure the next generation of farmers is protected."
It comes as the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC) warned that the nation's young farmers were 'browbeaten' by the budget.
It added that young farmers would have 'serious concerns about an uncertain future' due to the proposed tax and wage changes.
