Chancellor Rachel Reeves

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said you cannot give a 'tax break' for farmers if you want to drive down NHS waiting lists and mortgage rates

Speaking to Sky News, Sir Keir Starmer said it was a political choice. He said you could not have waiting lists coming down while maintaining the 'tax break' for farmers

This week from Rachael Brown, Farmers Guardian chief reporter

It is understood NFU, TFA, CLA and the CAAV have been invited to a meeting next week (February 18) with Treasury officials. The devolved farming unions are also expected to meet in a separate meeting

In today's Farming in Five, chief reporter Rachael Brown reports on the Prime Minister's comment that farming is 'top of his agenda', despite refusing to apologise for his Minister's comments earlier this week that agriculture was not high in the Government's 'pecking order', Devon County Council's Farms Estate is owed more than £400,000 in overdue rent from tenants, and farming shows scooped up awards at this year's TV Choice Awards, including a win for Springtime on the Farm which won best factual show

Keir Starmer refused to apologise for the remarks made the Farming Minister, Daniel Zeichner, earlier this week that the agricultural industry was not high in the Government's 'pecking order'

Liberal Democrat MP for North East Fife, Wendy Chamberlain, accused the Government of failing to consider the impact of its proposed IHT changes on Scottish tenant farmers, despite raising the problem ‘four times in the last three months'

In today's Farming in Five, chief reporter Rachael Brown reports on the Farming Minister's comments that agriculture is low in the Government's 'pecking order' and 'the Budget is the Budget' and the focus must now be on getting the sector on a ‘proper, sustainable, business-like footing', and restaurant chain Nando's is to conduct an independent audit of its chicken suppliers after it was accused of ‘killing' the River Wye by green campaign groups

Amanda Watson, from North Yorkshire, said on her family's upland beef and sheep farm land was everything and 'not an asset on paper', but the 'foundation' of their entire business

Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner told farmers at the Norfolk Farming Conference ‘the Budget is as the Budget is' and it was not going to change