NFU launches Big Banner Day to campaign against family farm tax
Lincolnshire NFU members are amplifying the campaign against the family farm tax that threatens food production and rural businesses putting banner up across the county.
The NFU, in collaboration with farming unions NFU Cymru, NFU Scotland and the Ulster Farmers’ Union, has stepped up its #StopTheFamilyFarmTax campaign with a national display of solidarity – the Big Banner Day.
Roadside and gate banners are being displayed across the country now and into January to amplify the message that the proposed changes to inheritance tax threaten the future of family farms.
The banners, designed to be highly visible in key political constituencies, aim to keep public attention and build political pressure on the devastating impact these changes would have on farming families and rural communities.
Amy Jobe, who farms near Louth, has put up a banner alongside the A16 as part of the campaign and they have a mixture of Lincoln Red and continental cattle alongside the main arable enterprise.
She said: “We still want to be able to farm the land here in the Lincolnshire Wolds and while this business has been in the family for generations we are only its custodians.
“We produce food, support local businesses, communities and jobs passing the responsibility on to our children.
“The family farm tax will have a huge impact on county farms and could be devastating to the vital work being done to feed Lincolnshire families, support our local communities, the economy and environment.”
While NFU President Tom Bradshaw said the Big Banner Day was a powerful visual reminder to government "that our fight to protect family farms is far from over".
“These tax changes are unjust, based on flawed data and risk destroying the very backbone of British agriculture," he said.
“Family farms have been at the heart of our rural communities for generations, producing high-quality food, supporting local communities and maintaining the beautiful landscapes we all value. The proposed changes threaten not just individual farming families, but the future of the heritage and traditions of an entire way of life.”
His words were echoed by farmer Jane Bassett, who represents NFU members across the Midlands as regional board chair, who said farmers and growers from all counties were involved to amplify the campaign message.
“Farming families are proudly displaying these banners as part of the NFU’s ongoing campaign to overturn this family farm tax and we are amplifying our message to politicians and the public,” she said.
“This is the next step following the mass lobby in London and other events over December and will act as a strong visual presence to keep the political pressure up on MPs and remind people of the campaign against this insidious tax.
“The changes proposed are huge, both devastating financially to farmers as well as being based on flawed data.
“As a result the traditions that underpin our rural communities are under threat, as well as to food production, environmental delivery and the wider rural economy.”
To support the campaign, car stickers will also be available to boost visibility even further, allowing supporters to spread awareness wherever they travel and reinforce the call for action among the wider public.
Mr Bradshaw added: “Only a combination of public support and political pressure will lead to a change in this damaging policy. The NFU is in a unique position to apply that pressure, bringing together stakeholders from across the country, coordinating efforts across all the home nations and leading a campaign to highlight the importance of protecting British family farms.
“We owe it to our farming families and to future generations to ensure these damaging proposals don’t undermine the future of food production. This is a fight we will not abandon, and we need everyone to stand with us.”