Countryside Alliance Ireland stands with farmers

Following the budget by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Countryside Alliance Ireland has been highlighting the impacts on farmers in Northern Ireland. Increases to the minimum wage – likely leading to higher food prices for locally grown food – and changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) have hit our farmers hard, with many in the sector saying the low threshold will leave farm businesses burdened with debt to meet the tax liability.

Farmers are often asset rich but cash poor, with the average farm valuation of around £3 million giving rise to a £400 thousand inheritance tax bill. The APR reduction has created a sense of shattered trust, signalling an alarming disconnect between policymakers and the challenges facing family-run farms.

Countryside Alliance Ireland has not been alone in its reaction, with the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) also expressing worries:

“UFU is deeply concerned about the changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) introduced in the budget, which threaten the viability of family farms across Northern Ireland.”

On this issue Countryside Alliance Ireland stands shoulder to shoulder with the UFU. Like us, they appreciate its huge impact on a sector that virtually all our rural communities depend upon, not to mention wider impacts on our environment and economy.

Along with the UFU, we urge all farmers, landowners, those living in rural communities and supporters of the farming community to unite and make their voices heard. Countryside Alliance Ireland wishes to highlight the UFU’s Overturn the Family Farm Tax Rally on Monday, taking place on Monday 18 November at the Eikon Exhibition Centre, Lisburn, starting at 7:30 p.m. This event is more than a meeting; it’s an opportunity for our farming community to stand united and demand policymakers recognise the effect of hiking inheritance tax on family farms.

Countryside Alliance Ireland, and the Countryside Alliance Head Office in London are showing their support by backing the Fight the Tax campaign. Our new campaign Hub is home to helpful information, downloadable and printed assets that can be used on your social media accounts, and our e-lobby.

Share the message, add your voice, and help us protect the future of our countryside.