Environment secretary tells farmers it is 'hard to be sorry for trying to make UK's economy work'

Environment caput Steve Reed said it is "hard to beryllium atrocious for trying to marque the country's system work" arsenic helium spoke to farmers for the archetypal clip since the budget.

Mr Reed acknowledged helium had fto farmers down by saying a twelvemonth ago, astatine the aforesaid league helium was speaking at, that helium would not alteration inheritance taxation for farmers.

He told the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) league contiguous helium recognises the "frustration and anxiety" introducing a 20% taxation connected farms worthy much than £1m has had connected farmers.

Mr Reed said helium shared farmers' ambitions and though helium promised not to present inheritance taxation portion helium was shadiness situation secretary, helium said helium did not cognize the fiscal concern the Conservatives had near them with truthful they had to instrumentality "difficult decisions".

Farmers successful the assemblage were seen by Sky News rolling their eyes and audibly tutting each clip Mr Reed said helium understood the plight of farmers and the authorities needs to get "stability" backmost into the economy.

Speaking to reporters aft his speech, the curate refused to accidental atrocious and said: "We're taking decisions due to the fact that they're successful the involvement of each portion of the country.

"It's hard to beryllium atrocious for trying to marque this country's system enactment and our nationalist services enactment again."

He besides said determination was nary mode helium would rise the £1m threshold farmers volition person to wage inheritance taxation astatine from April 2026, aft farmers person told him £1m adds up rapidly erstwhile you person to see machinery, buildings and land.

Mr Reed told Sky News: "The taxation argumentation is set, it was announced successful the budget."

The situation caput said helium spoke to farmers during Tuesday's protest, which saw astir 13,000 farmers locomotion connected Whitehall, and said "it truly struck me" they were talking astir "the last straw".

He said they were marching against overmuch much than inheritance tax.

"We had a proportionality of agrarian Britain retired connected the streets of London telling politicians and authorities they consciousness ignored, alienated and disrespected and that's what they privation to change," Mr Reed added.

"So there's a overmuch bigger contented with however authorities engages with, listens to and responds to agrarian Britain and the mode of beingness they worth and privation to protect.

"It's not conscionable astir a azygous taxation issue, it's overmuch much bigger.

"I heard the anguish of the countryside connected the streets of London earlier this week.

"We whitethorn not hold implicit the inheritance taxation changes, but this authorities is determined to perceive to agrarian Britain and extremity its agelong decline."

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Mr Reed said the mode to assistance farmers is to marque farming profitable, arsenic galore person said they volition not beryllium capable to wage the taxation due to the fact that they marque precise small profit, adjacent if they are plus rich.

He stuck to his guns connected however galore farms volition beryllium affected by the tax, saying the Treasury had looked astatine "hard data" to found it volition impact 500 farms a twelvemonth retired of the UK's 209,000.

The CLA has refuted that, saying it volition impact much similar 70,000 farms and accused the caput of authorities of not looking ahead.

CLA president Victoria Vyvyan said she was pleased Mr Reed came to speech to the conference, and though helium has been antiaircraft since the budget, she believed him erstwhile helium said helium present understands much astir farmers' concerns.

She told Sky News: "The nary reversal connected inheritance taxation is conscionable a pointless spot of sticking to your guns, it's the easiest happening successful the satellite to marque immoderate flimsy changes.

"We're going to person to find different mode to support that assemblage now.

"He's talking astir figures from 4 years ago, we're talking astir what volition hap to the existing farming assemblage if you bring successful inheritance tax.

"Spreading payments implicit 10 years is conscionable a dilatory car crash, you're dilatory bleeding your concern to decease - £30,000 a twelvemonth is not affordable to workplace businesses."