Labour Party

In today's Farming in Five, chief reporter Rachael Brown reports on Arla’s soaring profits, giving its farmer-owners the highest dividend payout in the company’s history, how tenant farmers are being left ‘unprotected’ by the Chancellor’s changes to Inheritance Tax, and the UK's borders have been called into question once again after 600kg of illegal meat was seized in Northern Ireland.

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

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

This week from Rachael Brown, Farmers Guardian chief reporter

Treasury urged to work together to consider whether its IHT policy could be 'recalibrated' and a 'few tweaks' could be made to both support family farms and close loopholes to maintain pressure on 'landbankers'

"To trivialize such a devastating issue with an insensitive joke demonstrates a shocking lack of empathy and respect, especially coming from someone in a position of influence and leadership"

"I do not think large farmers should be exempt from Inheritance Tax because no-one else is"

A CLA poll of England's 100 most rural constituencies, shows '58% oppose the inheritance tax hike', with 'less than a quarter in support'

"57% say they trust Labour less as a result of the Inheritance Tax decision and nearly a quarter of Labour voters say they are now unhappy about the way they voted at the General Election"

"I urge farmers to continue making their voices heard"