Previously, the intergenerational transfer of farms had been exempt from taxation as a result of 1992 tax break by the Conservative Major ministry intended to protect food security.

[1][2] In November 2024, the newly elected Labour Starmer ministry announced plans to remove the exemption from inheritance tax for farms valued over at least £1,000,000 in order to generate revenue for public services.

Average annual incomes ranged from a modest £17,000 for livestock grazing operations to £143,000 for specialised poultry farms, further exacerbating the thinness of profit margins despite high land valuations.

[6] On 19 November, thousands of farmers gathered on Parliament Square in London to protest against the planned agricultural inheritance taxation policies.

The National Farmers' Union (NFU), through its president, Tom Bradshaw, promised sustained protest activities until their concerns were adequately addressed.

Despite organisers' requests to avoid bringing agricultural machinery into London, a small group of real tractors proceeded past Downing Street, necessitating a Metropolitan Police response.

Jeremy Clarkson addressed one group, calling the tax hikes a "hammer blow to the back of the head" of British agriculture.

There were also concerns from some farmers that the change could lead to dependence on natural disaster-vulnerable foreign food imports from countries like Peru, Spain, or Portugal.

[19][20][21] The prime minister, Keir Starmer, responded to concerns by saying that the actual threshold for inheritance tax liability could reach up to as high as £3,000,000 once various exemptions were applied, including considerations for couples and specific agricultural property relief.