At The Edge
UK Farmers Struggle as Policy Threatens Their Future
A Note to Readers
Some of the experiences and quotes shared in this piece discuss mental health struggles and suicide. If you are affected by these topics or find them upsetting please take care while reading and know that support is available.
There is a tension in the air that never quite leaves British farming. This month it feels like everyone is holding their breath again. Industry news has been swirling with reports that the government might review changes to inheritance tax relief only for Dame Angela Eagle to dismiss those rumours. All this with the Autumn budget due on 26th November leaves the sector on edge.
For many family farms this budget is not just another date in the diary. Inheritance tax relief is often the only thing keeping family farms in family hands rather than forcing a sale to pay the bill. This is the last hope that the government will reverse course and protect the future of farming families. Yet deep down I worry that the changes will go ahead in April 2026 as planned. The sense of limbo is exhausting.
I am not a Countryfile watcher myself but many of you may be. This week a clip from the latest episode caught my attention and honestly it is heartbreaking to watch and a strangely familiar feeling for a totally different farming fight. A guest broke down in tears and sadly I have seen these feelings reflected in so many farmers across the UK.
“What’s been the impact on you of this announcement this year? You’ve really thought about it?”
“It’s been hard for me lying in the hospital bed thinking how am I going to save my farm And having trying to have all this treatment to save my life and sometimes I think what the hell are you doing it all for Because if something doesn’t change by next April I’d probably top myself.”
“You’ve really thought about it?”
“Oh God yes.”
The emotional toll is real. Farming has the highest suicide rate of any UK profession and I have seen this pain first hand.
We cannot afford to stay divided, not as farmers and not as a nation that depends on the land. The challenges ahead are not just for those who work the fields, but for everyone who eats, everyone who cares about the countryside, and everyone who values the culture and community that farming sustains. If there was ever a time for unity, it is now. We need farmers standing together, but we also need consumers, neighbours, and policymakers to listen and act. The future of our food system, our rural communities, and our environment depends on us recognising that we are all connected. When we support each other by buying local, by raising our voices, by refusing to let these issues be ignored, we have a chance to shape what happens next. The changes coming are serious and they will affect us all, so let’s stand together before it is too late.
If I am realistic I know the inheritance tax changes are not likely to be reversed. And if by some chance they are I fear we will see hefty cuts to DEFRA’s budget which will hit Environmental Land Management schemes hard. These schemes are more crucial than ever as we need to transition more farms to nature friendly practices and reduce chemical use and intensive systems. But the way things are going both options seem designed to shrink our farms and farmland.
So whichever way the government turns it is urgent that you support small local farmers in the UK. There are some big tax bills coming their way or cuts to subsidies that so many rely on. The best way to help is to buy direct from farmers by buying from the farm gate or at farmers markets and farm shops. As Gerald Miles said in a recent film with Farms Not Factories
“Get to know your local farmer and support them. Why do farmers in the UK have the highest suicide rate Supermarkets have really distanced us from our customers and our communities.”
On a personal note if you are someone in the farming world who is struggling please know you are not alone. I highly recommend reaching out to the RABI who offer support to struggling farmers with grants or counselling. I have used their counselling service during our fight for our farm. In the run up and after our battle in high court I was at breaking point and the support RABI provided was a lifeline I did not know I needed so badly. Please do not be afraid to reach out.
Policy around farming is a mess and needs urgent attention. I would love to hear your thoughts. Are you heading to Westminster
or watching from afar?
Does protest still matter?
Let us keep the conversation going.
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Sources
Government 'rethink' on Inheritance Tax proposals reportedly under consideration - Farmers Guardian
Eagle quashes rumours of ‘family farm tax’ reprieve - Farmers Weekly
Heart-wrenching moment 'broken' Countryfile guest bursts into tears and walks off BBC set - as viewers gasp 'this is so wrong!' - Daily Mail
Farmers warned any change to IHT proposals could mean Defra budget cuts - Farmers Guardian
Wise Farmers: Gerald Miles - Farms Not Factories
Very well said, Helen.
I was giving a lecture last week on caring for the environment. I answered a question at the end "what can we practically do?" by saying "this is something pretty much everyone can do. Get to know now your local farmers who are trying to ecologically manage their farms and support them by buying from them directly."
There is so much power to effect change for good in the way we choose to spend our money.
Keep fighting, keep writing 💚