Budget reaction from Ripon Farm Services

“It is deeply frustrating that the NFU, which is an excellent organisation, has so little influence on Government policy. It must be tempting for their President Tom Bradshaw to park a tank outside 11 Downing Street and force the Chancellor to listen to the concerns of the under-funded rural community. There is no doubt that neither Rachel Reeves nor Keir Starmer have any knowledge or, or interest in, the agricultural sector.

“Today’s Budget has a potentially detrimental potential impact on family farms, the environment, and food production. I am concerned that changes to the Agricultural Property Relief (APR) could force family farms to sell to cover costs. APR allows small family farms to pass from one generation to the next, which is absolutely crucial. The Chancellor announced that APR is now subject to a £1m combined cap of 100% relief; values in excess of this amount will only benefit from 50% relief from April 2026. Surely, that cap is far too low.

“The farming sector needs stability and a genuine partnership with the government. We need a sustainable, long-term increase in agricultural funding and a proper understanding of the work and the needs of farmers.. Now, more than ever, we need to influence Government policy, and not to be on the receiving end of their ill-advised policies. Otherwise we are going to end up with a situation like France where the farmers have rebelled because they can’t take any more. Rant over, onwards and upwards. “