Sussex farmers fight for their future as county council leader joins Worthing demonstration

Paul Marshall – the leader of West Sussex County Council – is calling on the government to reconsider changes to inheritance tax which he claims will have a ‘devastating impact on many family farms’.

From April 2026, inherited agricultural assets worth more than £1m, which were previously exempt, will be subject to 20 per cent inheritance tax.

Mr Marshall attended a demonstration at Worthing Pier on Saturday (January 25) – one of five #StopTheFamilyFarmTax events organised by the National Farmers Union (NFU) in Sussex.

Leading this protest was NFU West Sussex Council representative, Caroline Harriott – who is a tenant farmer, operating on the edge of Worthing. Mrs Harriott recently displayed a #StopTheFamilyFarmTax sign by the A27 at Sompting, close to her mixed rented farm and pumpkin field.

At the demonstration on Saturday, next generation farmers wrote letters for West Worthing MP Beccy Cooper and East Worthing and Shoreham MP Tom Rutland. The event was also a way for the farmers to say ‘thank you to the public for their support in buying local and British products’.

Mrs Harriott said: “The Worthing public came out in force. They were engaged and really supportive.

"We had a lot of local produce that we gave to Worthing Soup Kitchen.

"It was a very positive day and we were fortunate the West Sussex County Council leader, Paul Marshall, came and supported us.

"What we'd like out of it is for the two Worthing MPs to take our message to Westminster – asking Rachel Reeves to pause and consult on the family farm tax.

"This is what we're asking all MPs across the country.”

Mrs Harriott said local farming families have been sharing their individual stories of ‘how this devastating tax will impact them’.

"It’s extremely stressful but we have to have hope,” she said. “In anything there should be consultation.

“All we're asking is for the correct data to be looked at, for it to be paused and consult with us. That shouldn't be too much to ask.

“We just want to represent farmers, consult with Rachel Reeves and tell her our story, which, is a very powerful because it's about national food security and it's about the future of the rural economy.

“Rachel Reeves wants to focus on growth. But you can't have growth in the farming industry as the allied rural businesses have stopped buying tractors, they've stopped building barns and they've stopped taking on apprentices and students.

"That’s because they haven't got the future to invest in their businesses.”

The NFU’s #StopTheFamilyFarmTax campaign saw ‘Day of Unity’ events held in Crawley, Chichester, Pulborough, Horsham Town Centre and Worthing Pier.

Constituency MPs were invited to all locations and static tractors were displayed.

County council leader Mr Marshall has written to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Rt Hon Steve Reed MP, to help to preserve family farms, farmland, and the environment.

The letter highlights ‘the essential role farmers play in managing our natural landscapes, contributing to biodiversity, protecting our wildlife, flood prevention and supporting sustainable local food systems within West Sussex’.

It follows a notice of motion debate at a meeting of the full council on December 13, 2024 where councillors highlighted their concerns about the impact of the changes in West Sussex on family farms and on the environment.

Mrs Harriott said: “The unintended consequences of the Autumn Budget have made farmers release just how much support they have from the public.

“Our Farming Day of Unity will see farmers and growers and their families coming out of the countryside into towns and cities to engage with the public and thank them for their support.

“We will also engage with our local politicians to highlight the real impact of the family farm tax; how it threatens the next generation’s future and would damage the entire rural economy.”