Our campaign to halt the unfair and destructive changes on IHT has delivered huge public and political support, and is beginning to cut through with Labour MPs too.
But we know the Chancellor is determined not to move, so we have to keep up the pressure.
That also means we have to pace ourselves, a bit like a boxer, if we punch ourselves out in the early rounds we won鈥檛 succeed. It鈥檚 important we remember that this isn鈥檛 an event, or even a series of events, it鈥檚 a campaign.
In the end, it is only a mix of public support and political pressure which will change this awful policy. That means we need to do what the NFU is uniquely placed to do 鈥� apply pressure politically, galvanise stakeholders, organise nationally across England, drive our media campaign on and co-ordinate efforts across all the home nations, working alongside our friends in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Of course other groups are also organising their own events, and this is a good thing. The more that people can do the better. As NFU President Tom Bradshaw told media today: 鈥淲hile these aren鈥檛 NFU events, they continue to show the strength of feeling among farmers and the wider agricultural community. We wish these events well and hope they are well attended by farmers and growers whose voices need and deserve to be heard.鈥�
Three key actions
This week NFU Council met to agree next steps in the campaign, to take us through the Christmas period and January.
There are three key things to do.
First, MPs of all parties tell us they need examples. You鈥檝e been sending in your case studies, which have been brilliant, and please keep them coming, but in December and early January we want members who can to meet their MPs together with their accountants and advisers, so that MPs can see first-hand, in the data for individual farms, that the Treasury lines claiming few farms will be affected by the APR/BPR changes are wrong.
This isn鈥檛 a mass event, and we need to focus on Labour MPs who don鈥檛 yet support us. Your regional team can tell you more.
To help make the process as easy as possible we've launched a that creates a template for you.
Second we鈥檙e planning a huge banner campaign, in December, where on the same day we鈥檒l erect roadside banners across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to keep this campaign in the public eye.
There will also be gate banners and thousands of car stickers for members to place on their gates and hand out to friends. We want our message to be visible all across rural UK, and we need your help to make that happen. Materials will come out to members through regions in good time (with more available in January to purchase at cost). All this will happen on 19 December, with materials arriving from 16 December.
And finally we鈥檙e planning a campaign moment at Lamma in January 鈥� more details on this soon.
鈥榃e are in it for the long haul鈥�
NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: 鈥淚t has been over a week since I met with the Prime Minister, and despite his receptiveness in that meeting, Downing Street has since been silent.
鈥淲e have been clear that this is a bad policy, built on bad data, and would mark the end of many family farms. It needs to be halted, at the very least for a proper consultation.
鈥淭oday the NFU held a meeting with its Council to agree initial next steps. This could be a long campaign and it will be constant and building pressure on the government which will change this botched policy, alongside ongoing dialogue with senior Ministers. There will be more to come beyond what is outlined today.
鈥淭he government may well try and draw this out, hoping we will give up over time, but rest assured we are in it for the long haul.
鈥淲e will make it clear that this issue will not go away and we will not stop until this awful family farm tax is stopped.鈥�
