Farmers have a sense of 'anger and despair' following a challenging year which included the 'family farm tax' announcement and the continued loss of direct payments.
This is according to NFU president Tom Bradshaw, whose new year message puts a focus on the industry's 'sense of betrayal' after Labour's farm inheritance tax proposal made in the budget.
Mr Bradshaw, who was elected the NFU president in 2024, said: “It’s impossible not to reflect on the stark picture of the challenges faced by UK farming over the past 12 months.
“Volatile input costs, commodity prices at record levels in some farming sectors and on the floor in others, a reduction in direct payments and one of the wettest periods in decades.”
He added that the UK saw a new Labour government, which, after 14 years in opposition, promised to reset its relations with British farmers and deliver a lift to farmer confidence.
“Instead, it delivered an inflationary budget and all but removed the tax reliefs for agriculture property and business property,” the NFU president said.
“In all my years in the industry, I’ve never experienced the anger, despair and sense of betrayal following the chancellor’s announcement to changes to inheritance tax.
“We saw these raw emotions play out at our mass lobby of MPs in Westminster, the farmer rally in Whitehall, and at the various tractor protests in London and around the UK."
He also confirmed that the NFU will be 'keeping up the pressure on government' by targeting rural Labour MPs and installing anti-farm tax roadside banners all over the country.
“Ultimately, this needs to be sorted out by the prime minister and chancellor Rachel Reeves with a solution sought that will mitigate the extreme human impacts of this indefensible family farm tax policy on the current holders of those businesses."
Mr Bradshaw added that despite a challenging year, there had been successes that 'mustn’t be overlooked'.
These include new legislation on dairy contracts after more than a decade of campaigning that provides fairer and more transparent supply chains.
The industry also saw a UK-first US export opportunity for beetroot growers, a Code of Practice for tenant farmers, and eight of the UK’s major retailers backing the NFU’s call for ‘buy British’ tabs to be added to their websites.
Mr Bradshaw concluded: “It is also hugely important that the overwhelming public support British farming continues to attract remains steadfast.
"More than 265,000 people have signed our family farm tax petition expressing their anger and frustration and backing NFU calls for an immediate U-turn.
“It gives me great strength to know that Britain’s farmers are respected and much valued by the public, who rank our job as one of the most important and well-respected professions, second only to nursing."
