A petition signed by nearly 50,000 people has warned the government that changing inheritance tax will 'devastate' farms across the UK.
The viral petition says that farming families would have to sell land and assets just to stay on their property if the tax goes ahead.
From April 2026, farms worth more than £1 million will incur a 20% inheritance tax charge, sparking fears over the future of Britain's family farms.
The highly controversial move, announced in the recent autumn budget, triggered a huge farmer rally in central London on Tuesday (19 November).
The protest also took place against continued high costs, tightening margins and uncertainty over future government policy.
The parliament.uk petition, created just days ago, has already surpassed the 10,000 barrier, which means the government must reply.
However, if over 100,000 signatures are gathered, the issue will be considered for a debate in parliament.
The petition says changing inheritance tax relief for agricultural land will 'devastate' farms nationwide.
"We urge the government to keep the current exemptions for working farms," it reads.
"We feel that passing farms through generations is essential to UK farming. Until now, inheritance tax exemptions have made this possible by allowing farmland to pass without taxation.
"Changes to inheritance tax will harm UK farming deeply, with some farmers predicting their families will be forced out within two generations."
It concludes: "We think the government is framing the policy around the targeting of rich landowners, but we believe this policy will affect farming families of all sizes."
