Organisers urged protesters not to bring farm machinery into central London, though some tractors drove past Downing Street covered with signs saying “the final straw” and “no farmers, no food.”
Thousands of UK farmers have gathered outside Parliament to protest against the government's decision to increase inheritance tax in its latest budget.
The decision would see the end to a tax break dating from the 1990s that exempts agricultural property from the levy.
This means that from April 2026, farms worth more than £1 million (€1,197 million) will face a 20% tax when the owner dies and they are passed on to the next generation.
British farmers say such a hike will deal a ‘hammer blow’ to family farms which are already struggling from the impact of climate change, global instability, and the upheaval caused by Brexit.
Supporters of the tax say it will recoup money from wealthy people who have bought up agricultural land as an investment, driving up the cost of farmland.
