Jacob Anthony, a fifth-generation farmer from Bridgend, travelled to Westminster in the early hours of Tuesday morning with hundreds of other Welsh farmers to protest against changes to inheritance tax rules.
Jacob said he is fighting for the future of his family’s farm:
“I want to be able to continue farming like my father, grandfather and generations before but obviously this land tax is going to have serious implications”.
The protests come after Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in her budget that farmers will need to pay a 20% tax on agricultural assets worth more than £1 million after April 2026.
Before this, farmers didn’t need to pay tax when passing land onto their families.
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) said the tax changes and reduced relief will force many farmers to sell their family farms.
There were two protests in London: an official event organised by the NFU where farmers met with local MPs, and a second rally which built up outside Whitehall.
Whilst at the NFU protest, Jacob said there was an air of tension as the farming community was out in full force.
Both marches attracted thousands of farmers from across the UK, with tractors blocking up the streets and Jeremy Clarkson supporting the crowds.
Jacob said he joined the protest to fight for Wales’ rural communities and its culture:
Rural parts of Wales…that is where the Welsh language is first and foremost. If you take the farmers out of those communities you’re also going to have a knock on effect on the language and heritage of Wales.”
In Cardiff, Wales’ First Minister Eluned Morgan said that “the number of people affected by this, according to our calculations are very few.”
The Farmers’ Union have said there is widespread confusion and concern at the Government’s figures, as data from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs suggests that closer to two-thirds of UK farms may be affected.