Farmers are left 'bewildered and frightened' by inheritance tax

FARMERS have been left “bewildered and frightened” by Labour’s inheritance tax raid, a review has found.

- MARTYN BROWN Political Editor and ADAM TOMS

Keir Starmer’s controversial reform is the “single biggest issue” facing the struggling industry, it warned.

The review into farming profitability by Baroness Batters was commissioned by ministers amid protests and anger over the “farm tax”. It makes 57 recommendations on how the government can improve profitability.

The former president of the National Farmers’ Union said farmers face “huge economic challenges”.

Her report did not look in detail at the government’s proposed changes to inheritance tax, which are set to apply to farm businesses worth more than £1million at a rate of 20% from April 2026. Previously farms had been exempt. But Baroness Batters said it was raised as the single biggest concern by almost everyone in the sector she talked to as part of the review.