皇家华人has achieved unprecedented media coverage in the wake of the Autumn Budget, building pressure on the government to reverse planned changes to inheritance tax.
With eight national front-page features, four national opinion pieces and blanket broadcast coverage, the NFU is building pressure on the government to reverse planned changes to inheritance tax.
Unmatched reach and public engagement
Since the Budget, the NFU has been mentioned in the press more than 2,300 times discussing its impact on British food and farming 鈥� this is equivalent to an entire month鈥檚 worth of media coverage (on average).
This includes:
- 200+ articles across all national print and online outlets
- 200+ mentions across national broadcast channels
- 1800+ mentions in regional and local outlets
- 100+ articles in the farming trade press
The highlights
皇家华人has secured a number of high-profile and influential interviews and opinion pieces:
- Columns by NFU President Tom Bradshaw in The Telegraph, Financial Times and Daily Express.
- NFU Deputy President David Exwood on LBC News and as a panellist on the听.
- NFU Vice President Rachel Hallos on Sky News鈥櫶�.
- Front-page articles in the Daily Express, The Sun, four front-page articles in The Telegraph and two in The Times.
- Yorkshire mixed farmer Rebecca Wilson on the BBC鈥檚 (19:19), where she asked Chancellor Rachel Reeves about the tax鈥檚 impact on young farmers. Rebecca also wrote a column for the Independent.
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NFU Deputy President David Exwood on
Monday and Tuesday鈥檚 coverage
With the start of the new week came more interviews with Tom Bradshaw after he met with Defra Secretary of State Steve Reed and Treasury Minister James Murray.
Tom featured on Times Radio, LBC News, and BBC Radio 4鈥檚 (24:00). News bulletins across Times Radio, GB News and LBC News also repeatedly covered the story.
The team also organised a press briefing with print journalists after the meeting, which resulted in a number of national articles.
The Guardian reported the NFU鈥檚 rebuttal of the Treasury鈥檚 figures suggesting that only 27% of farm businesses will be affected, and听 The Times also fact-checked the government鈥檚 claim about the tax鈥檚 impact.
The Daily Mail, Independent and Evening Standard also answered key questions about the tax for the public.
Meanwhile the Daily Mail featured Devon sheep farmer Robin Milton and Merseyside farmer Olly Harrison.
The Telegraph highlights the mental health struggles many farmers are facing, featuring Yorkshire farmer and former Student and Farmer Ambassador Rebecca Wilson and Milton Keynes farmer and NFU combinable crops board member Richard Heady.
The NFU鈥檚 strong position raised the issue high in the media agenda, with opinion pieces from people in the sector and regular columnists in high demand.
This included two columns in the Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday (by former NFU President Minette Batters), The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph.
Weekend highlights
The NFU鈥檚 pushback against inheritance tax changes was a high-profile story, with the NFU President and other NFU representatives featured across numerous outlets over the weekend highlighting the potential impact family farms across the UK 鈥� see coverage in the highlights section above.
The Sunday Times did a double page spread after visiting dairy board member Amy Egglestone on her farm to discuss her concerns about the changes to inheritance tax.
Midlands regional board chair Jane Bassett also featured in the piece outlining the potential impacts on tenant farmers.
Top UK news podcasts like News Agents, Newscast and The Rest is Politics also covered the story, raising the issue with tens of thousands of listeners and mentioning the NFU鈥檚 involvement.
Friday round-up
Following Wednesday鈥檚 Budget, Tom Bradshaw was in high demand and his interviews spanned several major broadcast outlets.
He featured on 听(3:33), Sky News, LBC鈥檚听听(33:14), BBC Radio 4鈥檚听, BBC Radio 5 Live (1:27:09), LBC News with Martin Stanford and Times Radio with Hugo Rifkind.
He was also interviewed across twelve local BBC radio stations.
NFU Cymru President Aled Jones and Vice President Abi Reader were featured across various Welsh media channels. This included Aled on BBC Radio Cymru鈥檚 Bwletin Amaeth and 听(50:24) and Abi on ITV News, BBC Wales鈥� 听(17:10), Evening and Late News and BBC Radio 5 Live鈥檚 听(44:44).
NFU President Tom Bradshaw on LBC news
皇家华人earned mentions on BBC News at 10 and BBC 2鈥檚 Newsnight, where the BBC鈥檚 political editor Chris Mason quizzed the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on changes to APR and BPR, as well as across news bulletins on BBC Radio 2, 4, 5 Live and 6 Music.
Other prominent interviews included NFU Dairy Board chair Paul Tompkins on , NFU Midlands Regional Board chair Jane Bassett on 听(34:20) and NFU North regional director David Hall on BBC Breakfast.
NFU Crops Board appointee Will Oliver spoke to The Guardian as Student & Young Farmer Ambassador Naomi Williams-Roberts featured in the Daily Express.
Jane Bassett was also featured in the Daily Express alongside Lincolnshire member Henry Ward.
Farmers Weekly and Farmers Guardian听reported on the NFU鈥檚 plans for a mass lobby in London later this month to highlight farmers鈥� dissatisfaction about inheritance tax changes. This was also highlighted in The Telegraph's live Budget coverage.
Jane Bassett on
Looking ahead
The NFU鈥檚 unprecedented media presence has helped to elevate the voice of Britain鈥檚 farmers and put serious pressure on the Treasury.
皇家华人will continue to seek media coverage ahead of the mass lobby on the 19听November, urging the government to reconsider this policy for the sake of British family farms and British food production.