MP MANUELA Perteghella has thrown her weight behind a call for the government to axe the family farm tax, which is causing grave concern among Stratford farmers.
A new cross-party report from the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee urges the government to not only delay controversial changes to family farm inheritance tax, but consider alternative schemes that will not harm family farming businesses.
The report warns that reforms announced in last year’s Autumn Budget were rushed through without proper consultation or impact assessments, creating uncertainty for family farms, land values, tenant farmers, and food security across the UK.
The committee recommends delaying final decisions until October 2026, allowing for alternative schemes to be explored.
Responding to the report, Stratford MP Dr Perteghella said: “The government’s disastrous family farm tax has been a hammer blow to many farms up and down the country.
“Here in Stratford, I’ve spoken to family-run farms who are now questioning whether they’ll even be able to pass their land on to the next generation without incurring crippling costs.
“This uncertainty is not only undermining confidence but threatening the very future of local farming communities.
“The Liberal Democrats have been urging the government from the very start to axe the family farm tax and protect those farmers who have already been failed so badly by the Conservative party’s unfair trade deals, rocketing bills and plunging incomes.
“It’s about time the government started listening to farmers, that starts by admitting they were wrong and ditching the family farm tax.”
