National Farmers’ Union (NFU) president Tom Bradshaw is set to give a highly critical speech at his organisation’s conference on Tuesday, accusing the Government of breaking promises with its “morally wrong” policy to bring in inheritance tax for farm businesses worth more than £1 million.
But Mr Bradshaw will use his first speech to the annual conference as NFU president to reiterate opposition to the so-called “family farm tax”, which has prompted multiple protests by the sector since the move to introduce inheritance tax for farm businesses was announced last autumn.
The NFU president will launch new policy blueprints, the organisation’s vision of what is needed to “underpin confident, sustainable, profitable farm businesses, whilst producing food for 70 million British people, protecting our precious countryside, and helping ministers achieve their policy aims”.
“There were only 87 words in Labour’s manifesto about farming, but some of those words gave us hope for the future; policies on imports, binding targets for British food for the public sector, a recognition that food security is national security,” Mr Bradshaw will say.
They are expected to include new requirements for government catering contracts to back British produce, a multimillion-pound investment in technology, extending the seasonal worker visa programme, strengthening controls on animal disease, and protecting farmers in trade deals.
