Jack Walters
Guest Reporter
Rebel farmers have threatened to blockade ports and starve supermarkets of food in protest against Rachel Reeves' tax raising Budget.
It is also possible that farmers could look to withhold produce and livestock to trigger food shortages.
The escalation shows a fierce backlash to Reeves' decision to place a 20 per cent inheritance tax levy on assets worth more than £1million.
Farmers had previously been exempt from the 40 per cent inheritance tax duty.
Speaking about potential disruption, a farmer told The Telegraph: "They will block every port in the UK if they have to.
“[This] could be a possibility to slow down the supply in the supermarket.
"The Government and supermarkets need to realise the control we have as farmers.
"The good thing with that is you have farmers everywhere so you can cover all the ports.”
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Farmers appear inspired from protests across Europe earlier this year, with Belgian agricultural workers barricading the Belgian port of Zeebrugge.
Similar protests broke out in France, Spain, the Netherlands and Poland.
Clive Bailye, the founder of the Farming Forum, said: “Some farmers were looking at other actions – from not taking sewage sludge to not letting food leave the farm or sending livestock to market. I can see produce being withheld.”
NFU chair Tom Bradshaw told The Telegraph that farmers felt "betrayed" by Sir Keir Starmer after Labour looked to charm rural voters ahead of the 2024 General Election.
A Survation survey from February showed Tory support drop from 59 per cent to just 34 per cent, with Labour surging by 17 points to take them to 37 per cent.
Around one-in-four of Labour's 402 MPs represent rural or semi-rural constituencies, a significantly higher number than in recent years.
However, a Government spokesman said: “With public services crumbling, a £22billion fiscal hole inherited from the previous Government and 40 per cent of Agricultural Property Relief going to the seven per cent of the wealthiest claimants, we made a difficult decision to ensure the relief is fiscally sustainable.
“Around 500 claims each year will be impacted and farm-owning couples can pass on up to £3million without paying any inheritance tax – this is a fair and balanced approach.”
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It is also possible that farmers could look to withhold produce and livestock to trigger food shortages.
The escalation shows a fierce backlash to Reeves' decision to place a 20 per cent inheritance tax levy on assets worth more than £1million.
Farmers had previously been exempt from the 40 per cent inheritance tax duty.
Speaking about potential disruption, a farmer told The Telegraph: "They will block every port in the UK if they have to.
“[This] could be a possibility to slow down the supply in the supermarket.
"The Government and supermarkets need to realise the control we have as farmers.
"The good thing with that is you have farmers everywhere so you can cover all the ports.”
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Farmers appear inspired from protests across Europe earlier this year, with Belgian agricultural workers barricading the Belgian port of Zeebrugge.
Similar protests broke out in France, Spain, the Netherlands and Poland.
Clive Bailye, the founder of the Farming Forum, said: “Some farmers were looking at other actions – from not taking sewage sludge to not letting food leave the farm or sending livestock to market. I can see produce being withheld.”
NFU chair Tom Bradshaw told The Telegraph that farmers felt "betrayed" by Sir Keir Starmer after Labour looked to charm rural voters ahead of the 2024 General Election.
A Survation survey from February showed Tory support drop from 59 per cent to just 34 per cent, with Labour surging by 17 points to take them to 37 per cent.
Around one-in-four of Labour's 402 MPs represent rural or semi-rural constituencies, a significantly higher number than in recent years.
However, a Government spokesman said: “With public services crumbling, a £22billion fiscal hole inherited from the previous Government and 40 per cent of Agricultural Property Relief going to the seven per cent of the wealthiest claimants, we made a difficult decision to ensure the relief is fiscally sustainable.
“Around 500 claims each year will be impacted and farm-owning couples can pass on up to £3million without paying any inheritance tax – this is a fair and balanced approach.”
Find Out More...