HUNDREDS of farmers were returning to their farms across West Somerset and the Wellington area on Tuesday (February 11) after taking part in London in one of the largest farming protests in recent history.

More than 1,400 tractors from across the country were driven into Westminster and blocked roads ahead of a Parliamentary debate on the Government’s plans to cut inheritance tax relief for farms in what it labelled as a ‘new deal’ for UK agriculture.

Local farmers were led by Exmoor campaigner James Wright, who is chairman of the South West Conservative Rural Forum.

Hundreds of local farmers took part in an inheritance tax protest in London.
Hundreds of local farmers took part in an inheritance tax protest in London. ( )

Mr Wright said: “There were tractors of all colours from Parliament Square all the way up to Trafalgar Square.

“This is not just about farmers.

“It is about rural businesses and rural people who are being let down by a Labour Government.

“The family farm tax will force businesses to sell up and threaten Britain’s food security.

“The protest sent a clear message - rural Britain will not be ignored.”

Mr Wright said for generations farms had been passed on in the family, but now they would be devastated by the new tax bills, which in turn would force closures of rural schools and hit small businesses which relied on trade from farming communities.

He said the Government was guilty of ‘cultural vandalism’, targeting not just family farms, but ‘the very heart of Britain’s rural identity’.

Monday’s protest surpassed a previous one last December when 700 tractors blocked Whitehall as farmers sent the message ‘No Farmers, No Food’ to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Roads in the centre of London were blocked on Monday by protesting farmers.
Roads in the centre of London were blocked on Monday by protesting farmers. ( )

The Parliamentary debate this week was triggered by a petition co-authored by Mr Wright which attracted 147,975 signatures nationwide.

Among the signatories were more than 650 voters from the Tiverton and Minehead constituency, making it the 11th highest contribution per constituency across the UK.

The Government wants to introduce a first time 20 per cent inheritance tax on agricultural assets worth more than £1 million but said the threshold for many farmers could actually be £3 million.

Local farmers took part in a protest in London on Monday against inheritance tax relief cuts.
Local farmers took part in a protest in London on Monday against inheritance tax relief cuts. ( )

No tax would be payable on the first £325,000 above the limit, so the untaxed total would be £1.325 million.

The Government said said only about 500 farms were likely to be affected by the tax change, but National Farmers’ Union (NFU) research suggested 75 per cent of commercial family farms would be impacted, equating to 70,000 farms in each generation.

Somerset MPs including Gideon Amos, MP for Wellington and Taunton, and Adam Dance, MP for Yeovil, gathered in Westminster Hall to speak in support of small family farms.

Mr Amos added: “In short, I have no objection to the taxing of super-large landowners who use farms as a loophole to avoid inheritance tax—in fact, I would support it.

“But the irony of this policy is that it will drive more land into the hands of those super-large landowners, because every time farmers have to sell off some of their land, it will go to one of those bigger companies.”