鈥淣ow is the time to make our voices heard鈥� 鈥� that was the message from NFU President Tom Bradshaw as he called on the government to deliver an increased agriculture budget on 30 October.
皇家华人is calling for a renewed and enhanced multi-annual agriculture budget of 拢5.6 billion the majority of which is needed to deliver the government鈥檚 environmental goals, with the remainder looking to drive productivity and support the economic stability of farm businesses, all supporting the health and wellbeing of our nation.
Challenges, such as climate change, and statutory commitments, such as the , need to be matched by a renewed commitment to ensure the nation鈥檚 food security and help farming boost domestic production, as set out in the .
鈥淚 urge all members to use our campaigning letter template to write to their MP to tell them why the agriculture budget is so important to their businesses,鈥� the NFU President added.
鈥淚t鈥檚 vital we show that this is an issue that affects farmers across the whole of the country.鈥�
皇家华人has written a letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calling on him to stand by his commitments to British farmers and growers. We have also written to the Chancellor, outlining our 7 key asks for farming ahead of the Autumn Budget.
What has the PM promised?
During the NFU鈥檚 Conference in 2023, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, then Leader of the Opposition, delivered a keynote speech where he pledged Labour鈥檚 aspirations to 鈥済overn every corner of our country and will seek a new relationship with the countryside and farming communities on this basis, a relationship based on respect and on genuine partnership鈥�.
Hold the government to account on this promise and听.
拢5.6bn budget needed
皇家华人commissioned The Andersons Centre* to model the public funding required to deliver the government鈥檚 ambitions for agriculture in England over the 2025 to 2030 period, structured around our three agricultural policy cornerstones.
The research indicates that an annual agricultural budget for England of around 拢4 billion would support the delivery of a balanced agricultural policy which underpins global competitiveness:
- around 拢2.7 billion to meet the government鈥檚 environmental goals
- 拢615 million for driving productivity
- 拢720 million to support the economic stability of agricultural businesses
Respecting the nature of devolved government, we estimate this would translate to a UK-wide budget of around 拢5.6 billion.
The modelled budget does not capture every spending requirement, due to the interactions of funding need with policy design which are difficult to fully account for.
However, it does provide a strong indication of the level of budget required to deliver a globally competitive, productive, resilient, innovative and sustainable agricultural sector that would drive significant environmental improvements at unprecedented scale.
Division of funding
A balanced agricultural budget for the next parliament should be structured around the NFU鈥檚 three longstanding agricultural policy cornerstones:
- environment
- productivity
- stability
Investment in productivity and stability will ensure a competitive and resilient agricultural sector, while investment in environmental delivery also contributes to the resilience of our food systems, our environmental ambitions and a more sustainable economy.
British farming contributing to the economy
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The agri-food sector's contribution to the UK economy (GVA) in 2021 was听拢127 billion. |
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The number of people working on UK agricultural holdings in 2022 was听471,000. |
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69%听of the UK's land area is farmed. |
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Agri-food sector jobs in 2022 were just under听4.2 million. |
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The number of businesses in the UK registered as farm businesses in 2022 was听142,500. |
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UK food and drink exports in 2022 were听拢24.8 billion. |
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UK food self sufficiency is currently (2022) at听60%. |
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The amount UK shoppers spent on food and drink products in 2022 was听拢281 billion. |
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The percentage of farm businesses that had some form of diversification in 2021/22 was听68%. |
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Farmers produce renewable energy that helps to power an average of听10 million UK homes. |
* provides industry-leading business advice, research and analysis to the agricultural, rural and food sectors across the UK
See our progress on the fight for the farming budget
NFU signs letter calling for full consultation on IHT changes
皇家华人is one of 32 trade associations that have joined forces through an open letter to the Chancellor, calling for a full and formal consultation on the proposed changes to inheritance tax.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: 鈥淣o one thinks this is a good policy, not even the government鈥檚 own advisers. It鈥檚 time for Treasury to listen to farmers and the multiple other organisations calling for these proposals to be opened up for consultation.鈥�
Photograph: Alex MacNaughton / Alamy
NFU President sends #StopTheFamilyFarmTax Christmas cards to MPs
NFU President Tom Bradshaw sends Christmas cards to all English and Welsh MPs calling on them to #StopTheFamilyFarmTax.
The image on the Christmas card depicts a row of empty wellies belonging to a farming family.
Photograph: Getty
NFU President writes to the Prime Minister and meets with the Defra Secretary of State
NFU President Tom Bradshaw writes to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on farmers' concerns regarding the impacts of proposed changes to APR and BPR.
Tom also meets with the Defra Secretary of State Steve Reed to discuss the effects of wider government policy on British farmers and growers.
NFU tells government crucial covenant feels broken
NFU President Tom Bradshaw gives evidence to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee on the impacts of proposed changes to APR and BPR on the farming sector and wider rural communities.
Summarising the historic and current relationship between farming and the government, Tom says: 鈥淓ver since World War II, there has been a covenant between farming and government 鈥� that farming gets on and does its job of producing food, and it鈥檚 never really been about the returns, it鈥檚 been about that way of life, that heritage, that custodianship.
鈥淯nfortunately with all the other changes in the Budget, along with this one, it feels like this covenant has been broken.鈥�
Read NFU external affairs adviser Neeve McGinty's report.
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Photograph: Parliament tv
NFU announces next steps for campaign to stop the family farm tax
NFU Council meets to agree a plan to take us through the Christmas period and January, as we start to approach the Finance Bill, the piece of legislation that would make the Chancellor鈥檚 tax raid on farms law.
- A new for members launches to keep the pressure on MPs. We want to combine this with targeted meetings where MPs meet farmers together with their accountants to really understand why the Treasury鈥檚 insistence that few people will be affected is wrong.
- We're also asking members to get involved in a huge banner campaign, using roadside banners, gate banners and car stickers, right across the whole UK.
- We're building towards a milestone event at Lamma in January, which there鈥檒l be more information on soon.
Family farm tax debated in parliament
The Conservative Party uses its Opposition Day to table a motion against the government's proposed changes to APR.
Read NFU external affairs manager Emma Crosby's report.
Photograph: BBC
NFU holds banking roundtable
At its bi-annual banking roundtable, the NFU holds crucial discussions with several major banks to assess the potential impact of the government's recent Budget on farm business confidence and investment.
NFU President meets with Prime Minister
NFU President Tom Bradshaw meets Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in a one-on-one meeting to hear directly from Tom about farmers鈥� concerns.
They discuss the impact of changes to inheritance taxes on farms, alongside a number of other topics including food security, trade and farming and growing in the UK more widely.
Family farm tax most unpopular measure in Autumn Budget, new polling finds
New polling, carried out by Portland this week, shows that changes to inheritance taxation on family farms are unpopular, and that perceptions that Labour does not value rural voters as highly as urban ones are building.
Inheritance tax on farms is revealed to be the joint most unpopular measure in the Budget, tied with changes to pensions.
The news comes as the NFU's campaign action to stop the family farm tax gains more than 255,000 signatures.听
NFU organises a mass lobby to stop the family farm tax
Farmers and growers descend on London to meet with their MPs as part of the NFU鈥檚 call to action to reverse the family farm tax. NFU President Tom Bradshaw opens the mass lobby with an impassioned speech in Church House, Westminster with the presidents of the other UK farming unions on stage. Members then went to tell their story to their MPs.听
Support for the quickly rises with over 231,000 members of the public joining the call to overturn the family farm tax.
NFU meets with Defra and Treasury to discuss Inheritance Tax
NFU President Tom Bradshaw meets Defra Secretary of State Steve Reed and Treasury Minister James Murray to outline the impact of Inheritance Tax changes on family farms and national food security.
Public backs NFU campaign to overturn family farm tax
On 1 November, the NFU launches the campaign urging the government to think again following its Autumn Budget announcement.
NFU members, British farmers and the public joined forces to call on the government to reverse its decision on the APR (Agricultural Property Relief), with more than 120,000 people adding their names to the campaign action to stop the family farm tax.
NFU leads calls for family farm tax to be reversed
Britain鈥檚 farmers and growers will take part in a mass lobby of their MPs on 19 November to highlight the devastating impact of the recent budget on their farms, with changes to Agricultural Property Relief dealing a hammer blow to farming families.
Show your support and call for the government to overturn the family farm tax.
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Photograph: Mike Booth / Alamy
Budget blow for British farming, says NFU
皇家华人responds to Chancellor Rachel Reeves' Autumn Budget announcement, warning that new measures could lead to food price rises.
New measures include changes to APR (Agricultural Property Relief) that are likely to impact significant numbers of farm estates, including small and medium-sized enterprises, and an above-inflation hike in the NLW (National Living Wage), with the rate for over 21s increasing 6.7% to 拢12.21 from April.
Farming industry writes to Chancellor amid fears of inheritance tax relief changes
The UK farming industry comes together to warn the Chancellor about the crippling effect changes to inheritance tax reliefs, including APR and BPR, would have on family farms, tenant farmers, domestic food security and environmental delivery.
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Photograph: Alex MacNaughton / Alamy
APR changes would put family farms at risk, warns NFU
Reports that the Treasury is considering major changes to agricultural property relief as part of the forthcoming budget spark concern among farmers and growers.
NFU analysis of APR suggests that scrapping it would only save the Treasury 拢120 million per year, while the negative impact on farming would be much larger.
皇家华人secures a debate in parliament this on the issue.
7 key Autumn Budget asks 鈥� NFU writes to the Chancellor
皇家华人writes to the Chancellor outlining the key asks for farming 鈥� chief among them is the need for a multi-year agriculture budget of 拢5.6 billion.
We are also seeking confirmation that there will be no changes to APR (Agricultural Property Relief) which currently exempts farmland from inheritance tax.
皇家华人believes that any removal of APR is unlikely to raise much in the way of tax, but could lead to a contraction in the amount of rental land for farmers.
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Photograph: amanda rose / Alamy
Parliament debates the agriculture budget
Following NFU lobbying, MPs from across the House of Commons call on the government to deliver an increased agriculture budget after an opposition debate day raises the importance of farming to Britain鈥檚 food security, environment and economic growth.
NFU launches 'write to your MP' campaign action
NFU President Tom Bradshaw brands newly released Defra figures as 鈥渦nacceptable鈥�, after they showed a 拢130 million yearly underspend against plans between April 2023 and March 2024.
皇家华人had repeatedly shared its concerns about this issue.
On Back British Farming Day, the NFU calls for the government to deliver a renewed and enhanced multi-annual agriculture budget of 拢5.6 billion in the Autumn Budget on 30 October.
皇家华人hosts a fringe event at the Labour Party Conference with Food Security and Rural Affairs Minister Daniel Zeichner on the panel. We reiterate our call for an increased budget.
Defra Secretary commits to making farming's case to Treasury
At the NFU's Back British Farming Day parliamentary reception, Defra Secretary of State Steve Reed pledges to make farming鈥檚 case to the Treasury.
鈥楩ood security is our shared mission鈥�, Farming Minister tells NFU MP reception
NFU holds first parliamentary reception after the State Opening of the new parliament. NFU President Tom Bradshaw pushes Minister Daniel Zeichner on the budget.
NFU has first meeting with new Defra Secretary
NFU President Tom Bradshaw meets new Defra Secretary Steve Reed.
After the meeting Tom says: 鈥淪teve Reed has just outlined his plan for change and it鈥檚 good to hear that food security, the environment and flood management are all focus areas. These now need to be underpinned by a budget that will enable the necessary investment.鈥�
NFU meets with parliamentary candidates
In the run up to the election the NFU meets with almost 400 candidates, ensuring our message on the budget is heard.
General election announced
The government announces a general election to take place on 4 July. 皇家华人continues to make the case for an agriculture budget that delivers for British farming and growing.听
No. 10 hosts second Farm to Fork Summit
皇家华人has secured major wins and explored ways to restore farmers鈥� confidence at the second Farm to Fork summit.
The summit coincides with several announcements which represent major wins for the NFU.
NFU launches its general election manifesto
皇家华人launches its Farming for Britain鈥檚 Future key policy asks ahead of an anticipated general election. These asks contain research from The Andersons Centre that explains why a robust agriculture budget must deliver for the stability and productivity of farming alongside the environment.
