Labour Government

In today's Farming in Five, chief reporter Rachael Brown reports on the farming unions' meeting with Treasury to discuss the family farm tax, where farming leaders felt the door had been 'slammed in their faces' once again. Unions now say their focus is on getting more Labour backbench MPs including those in the inner cities to pressurise the Government ahead of the Finance Bill in Autumn. And in other news, the UK's borders have been called into question once again after 600kg of illegal meat was seized in Northern Ireland, and growers are being urged to be extra vigilant amid warnings that organised crime gangs are targeting rural properties

In today's Farming In Five, chief reporter Rachael Brown reports on the PM being pressurised by the Conservative party to show his face at NFU conference next week to address farmers' concerns over inheritance tax changes, farming unions are due to meet with Treasury officials tomorrow, where they hope to voice their members concerns and hear some solutions, and egg prices are soaring in the US as the impact of avian influenza is felt across the country.

This week from Farmers Guardian's online editor Emily Ashworth

The Prime Minister is understood to have no intention of attending the conference, with Defra Secretary Steve Reed expected to speak

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

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'