We’ve been shafted by Labour, blasts Jeremy Clarkson as farmers slam Budget and warn of food shortages

FUMING farmers accidental Chancellor Rachel Reeves is risking nutrient shortages and strikes with her Budget taxation raid connected their land.

Agricultural workers threatened to down tools arsenic they railed against a caller 20 per cent inheritance levy slapped connected farms and instrumentality worthy implicit £1million.

And they warned household farms whitethorn person to beryllium sold off, starring to a melodramatic driblet successful food accumulation and supplies moving low.

Ms Reeves was besides accused of “signing a decease warrant” for thousands of multi-generational businesses arsenic the tax is imposed connected different family-run firms for the archetypal clip since 1970.

Gareth Wyn Jones, who runs Tyn Llwyfan Farm successful Wales, told The Sun: “I’m definite Labour could’ve recovered a amended mode to find wealth than targeting moving people household farms.

“It conscionable feels similar different footwear successful the bullocks.”

Mr Jones said the raid, estimated to deed 70,000 farms, could unit families to merchantability up.

This would pb to a immense driblet successful home-grown nutrient supplies and accrued dependence connected overseas produce.

He said: “Affordable nutrient is produced by farmers.

“What we’re going to bash is suffer land.

“If these household farms are deed with a large measure aft a bereavement, they’ll person to sell.”

The Chancellor’s levy raid volition mean inheritance taxation of 20 per cent volition use connected farms worthy much than £1million erstwhile the owners dice and walk it to their family.

Clive Bailey, an arable husbandman successful Staffordshire, said the cultivation assemblage could unleash “massive disruption” successful response.

He told Times Radio: “When radical find themselves successful situations wherever they person thing to lose, they go rather unsafe people.”

Farmer Richard Payne, of Somerset, said helium has urged his lad not to proceed the household vocation arsenic it has go “completely unviable” aft the Budget.

He added arguable “factory farms” could soon beryllium each that remains of the industry.

He said: “Everyone says they don’t privation mill farming, but I tin spot that volition beryllium 1 reply retired of this.”

It came arsenic Sun columnist and Diddly Squat Farm proprietor Jeremy Clarkson said farmers person been “shafted” and TV spot adept Kirstie Allsopp accused Ms Reeves of having “f***ed each farmers”.

Tory MPs warned the Budget could “spell the extremity of household farms”.

They accused Environment and Farming Secretary Steve Reed of betraying the sector, having promised past twelvemonth “we person nary volition of changing” inheritance taxation connected farms.

The National Farmers’ Union said the determination would “snatch distant the adjacent generation’s quality to nutrient food”.

Mo Metcalfe, of the Countryside Alliance, told The Sun: “This is simply a hammer stroke to tiny household farmers, who enactment hard to nutrient nutrient and who lone privation to beryllium capable to walk down their workplace to the adjacent generation.

“I fearfulness the Chancellor has grossly underestimated the choler and wounded this has caused.”

But the Chancellor insisted landowners should wage taxation successful the aforesaid mode “middle people families do”.

She said: “73 per cent of farms and cultivation property volition not beryllium affected astatine all, truthful this does support smaller farms.

“At the moment, you tin person immoderate of the wealthiest landowners, not farmers, successful this state who wage nary inheritance tax, portion mediate people families do.

“That is not right, and that's wherefore we’ve closed that loophole.”

Ms Reeves was besides blasted for imposing 20 per cent inheritance taxation connected previously-exempt family-run firms worthy implicit £1million.

Levy alleviation for multi-generational businesses was introduced by Labour successful the 1970s.

Funeral manager Charlie Field, whose concern employs 300 radical and dates backmost 300 years, told The Sun the taxation could beryllium a “final nail successful the coffin”.

He said: “The Chancellor’s ill-thought-out involution successful the Budget could spell the decease of multi-generation businesses, including my own.”

Neil Davey, brag of the Family Business UK radical said helium had spent months informing the Treasury removing alleviation for ancestral businesses would beryllium devastating.

He said: “Inheritance taxation reliefs are not loopholes.

“They guarantee businesses and farms bash not person to beryllium breached up connected the decease of the owner, to the detriment of each the remaining employees, suppliers, customers and investors.”

Ex-Labour Chancellor Ed Balls yesterday said: “It’s 1 of those things wherever you conscionable wonder, ‘Has the Treasury truly thought done each the hard cases?’".

Tom Bradshaw, of the National Farmers’ Union, said: “Just due to the fact that a workplace is invaluable arsenic an plus it doesn’t mean those who enactment it are wealthy.”

Shadow Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said: “Labour has introduced a household workplace taxation without considering the life-changing impact.”

PM Sir Keir Starmer told the NFU league conscionable past year: “Every time seems to bring a caller existential menace to British farming.

“You merit better.”