Farmers take a stand against inheritance tax hike with protest outside Chichester supermarket

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
West Sussex farmers took a stand against planned changes to the inheritance tax last Saturday (January 25) staging a protest outside a Chichester supermarket.

Gathering outside Tesco Extra, on Fishbourne Road, the farmers made clear they want the government to sit up and take notice as part of a national farming day of unity organised by the National Farmers Union (NFU).

"We’re out here to say thank you to the public, and to put pressure on the chancellor, put pressure on the government, to reverse their position on the inheritance tax, or at least hit pause and have a conversation with us,” said Rupert Hoare, from Asdean Farm in Chichester.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Announced last year, as part of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ historic budget, the inheritance tax change would see farms with combined agricultural and business assets worth more than £1 million experiencing a 50 per cent relief rate as of April 2026.

Farmers take a stand in ChichesterFarmers take a stand in Chichester
Farmers take a stand in Chichester

“The original idea had some promise to it,” added James Seller, from Park Farm, “But they’ve completely missed the target. If you talk to any tax expert, there were better alternatives which were readily available to the government, and they’ve just got it wrong. It’s not that they have to ditch the premise entirely, they just have to start again.”

It’s just one part of a series of steps taken by the NFU and farmers alike to draw attention to the issue, and follows on from a tractor convoy which travelled the A27 corridor last week. Mr Hoare said the response from members of the public has been almost universally positive, as residents come to terms with exactly who makes their food, and how they do it.

"Everyone’s been very positive. I think people are starting to realise that this country is far away from a point where food could be taken off shelves – and farmers, we put food on the table three times a day. And I think people see that and appreciate it,” Mr Hoare said.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Among those supporting the farmers was Chichester MP Jessica Brown-Fuller (Lib Dem), who urged the government to consider other options before coming down on top of farmers.

"I have 125 working farms in my constituency – the farming population in this area is huge,” she said. “We’re also uniquely placed in that Chichester’s constituency is a low-lying coastal plain with some of the best temperate climates and we’ve got loads of grade-1 agricultural land, so actually.”

"It’s not just the family farm tax, it’s also the fact that they’ve got to find money for the National Insurance (NI) increase, there are new rules around the equipment and the vehicles they use. They’re being hit from all sides.

"The government could easily reverse the family farm tax – it’s not going to move the dial in any particular direction, and there are others ways they can raise that money. They can tax the social media giants, the oil and gas giants, or make changes to corporation tax; there are so many different areas that they can explore.”

Responding to similar protests last year, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was ‘absolutely certain’ the tax will not touch ‘the vast majority of farms and farmers.’

Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice