MLAs and NI MPs under pressure following farming protests

Countryside Alliance Ireland was proud to attend the Ulster Farmers Union rally in Lisburn on Monday night (18 November) and stand shoulder to shoulder with the more than six thousand farmers who attended. Such was the influx, the meeting had to start later than planned due to the numbers stuck in traffic. Even then, they just kept on coming.

From all corners of Northern Ireland, farmers came together to oppose the catastrophic Budget. In one of the largest rallies in Northern Ireland has seen, they sent a direct message to our MLAs and MPs that the proposed inheritance tax (IHT) on farms needs to be re-thought or abolished.

Given the numbers in attendance, MLAs and MPs were quick to voice their support in the media and in speeches before and during the meeting, including those from the Alliance Party and the SDLP. However, Jim Allister MP exposed that the Alliance Party MP Sorcha Eastwood had not voted on the matter and from what it seems, neither did the SDLP’s Clare Hanna MP, with her colleague Colum Eastwood voting with the government.

Our First Minister gave a direct and focused speech on Sinn Fein’s support against the IHT changes, but it was farmer’s wife Carla Lockart MP’s impassioned speech that got the audience on their feet, highlighting not just IHT but the many anti-farming policies that the DAERA Minister has introduced, from the ammonia policy to inaction on bovine TB.

Such was the pressure on the Alliance Party’s MLA and DAERA Minister, Andrew Muir, he opted not to face farmers directly. In a social media post that has since gone viral, the DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley declared, “he ran off with his bow tie between his legs.”

Our countryside is more than just landscapes. It contributes hugely towards the nation’s food supply, economy and wellbeing and, as our biggest sector, supports over 113,000 jobs. The Budget proposals threaten the very fabric of rural life, putting family farms and hardworking communities at risk.

Curtailing Agricultural Property Relief could deal a devastating blow to family farms. With young farmers already struggling, a potential 20% inheritance tax bill could make it impossible to stay in business. The move risks stripping Northern Ireland of its lifeblood: the small, family-run farms that sustain our rural communities and food security.

In addition, the new tax reclassification of double-cab pickups, which are essential vehicles for farmers, gamekeepers and builders, means they will be taxed as company cars starting in April 2025. This reclassification could raise taxes on these vehicles by over 200%, making a crucial tool unaffordable for many.

The following day the President of the Countryside Alliance, and Labour Peer, Baroness Ann Mallalieu spoke to the thousands at the protest in London. She declared her unwavering and steadfast support for farming, as she laid out recently in her piece for the Daily Express.

Countryside Alliance Ireland understands the need for balance in the countryside, but does the Alliance Party? Given their closeness to environmentalists and animal rights groups are they looking to go to war with farmers and rural communities, like Labour? Or will they review their anti-farming polices and their time consuming, divisive Private Members Bill on hunting? Only time will tell.