Devon County Council
Devon County Council
11/22/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/22/2024 05:08
Devon County Council set to demand ‘family farm tax’ is withdrawn
Devon County Council set to demand 'family farm tax' is withdrawn
Posted on 22 November 2024
The immediate withdrawal of the proposed family farm tax is being called for in an urgent motion to be debated by Devon County Council.
The call is being made by Okehampton Rural county councillor Lois Samuel who is also a member of the ruling Cabinet.
In a Notice of Motion to be discussed by the council on December 5, she says the imposition of inheritance tax by the Labour Government is a threat to the existence of many family farms.
It will also jeopardise this country's food security, environmental safeguards and the rural way of life which depends on farming.
She said:
"This is an assault on thousands of farmers who work hard every day of the year to put food on our tables and just want to pass on their farms to their sons and daughters.
"It's estimated the tax will affect over 70,000 family farms and leave the average farming family with a tax bill of at least £240,000.
"That will force many farmers to sell some of their land or close entirely and that will just pave the way for corporate ownership over family ownership.
"Selling off land or closing farms will put our national food independence at risk, at a time when global stability is already fragile. British family farms are critical to ensuring a steady supply of homegrown food.
"Family farms are the foundation of rural Britain, contributing to local jobs, schools, and essential services. Labour's proposed tax risks destabilising communities, eroding the rural way of life, and causing a negative ripple effect across the countryside.
"Farms cover 70 per cent of the UK's land, with family farms playing a leading role in nature recovery, biodiversity, and sustainable land management. The sale and fragmentation of these lands would hinder conservation efforts and undermine environmental initiatives.
"Devon County Council should stand with our family farms, support our rural communities, and protect the environment by formally rejecting this proposed "family farm tax".
The Notice of Motion will be debated at the Devon County Council meeting at 2.15pm on Thursday, December 5.
A briefing paper from the House of Commons library shows Devon has over eight thousand, five hundred agricultural holdings.
More than 1.2 million acres of Devon countryside is farmed. The highest figure is North Devon with 221,000 acres, West Devon with 209,000 acres and Torridge with 191,000.
Nearly 20,000 people in Devon work on farms in either a full or part-time capacity. The highest number is in Mid Devon with Torridge and North Devon not far behind.
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