In his opening speech at today’s NFU’s mass lobby, President Tom Bradshaw said he had never seen the industry this angry, disillusioned and upset.
The remarks were made when Mr Bradshaw opened the lobby with a speech at Church House.
After thanking so many for coming a long way he said: “You don’t need me to tell you farmers and growers have put up with a hell of a lot, but it takes something extraordinary to get us to react like this and this betrayal on APR and BPR is extraordinary, and it affects farmers from every corner of Britain, many of whom are joining us today.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen the industry this angry, this disillusioned and this upset. And given what we’ve had to be angry about in recent times that’s saying something.”
Mr Brashaw reminded the audience that Labour had promised they wouldn’t be changing Agricultural Property Relief, describing the u-turn as “a stab in the back”.
After describing the Budget as a kick in the teeth and highlighting impact on shelf prices it and other inflationary pressures the industry face he turned to the human impact of the Budget
“We know what this means for our families, for our children, for our future. We know the horrendous pressure it is putting on the older generation of farmers who have given everything in providing the food for this country.
“We know that any tax revenue will be taken from our children and raised from those that die in tragic circumstances or within the next seven years.
The human impact of this policy is simply not acceptable. It’s wrong. Rest assured the NFU, and the other farming unions, are fighting all of these policies. But today we focus on Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief with our MPs.”
