Clydesdale Conservative MP David Mundell joined thousands of farmers and rural workers as they descended on London in hundreds of tractors this week, to protest against changes to agricultural tax reliefs.
The tractor rally, which was organised by Save British Farming, came as MPs debated a petition with more than 150,000 signatures calling for current exemptions to be kept for working farms, and Mr Mundell also spoke in support of their case during the debate.
He said: “I was glad to have the opportunity to support the thousands of farmers, farm workers and their families who came to Westminster on Tuesday to protest over the Labour government’s plans to cut Agricultural and Business Property reliefs.
“Before the General Election, Keir Starmer and other Labour spokesmen looked farmers in the eye and promised to protect them, but now they’ve reneged on that and are threatening the existence of farms here locally and across the country with their ‘family farm tax.’
“I also took the opportunity to speak in the debate on Tuesday in the House of Commons, calling for the ‘family farm tax’ to be reversed.
“I strongly made the point that the tax reliefs which have historically been given to working farms are vital to their long-term sustainability, as practical skills, knowledge and a commitment to being good custodians of the land are passed down through generations.
“The government’s ‘family farm tax’ puts all that at risk, threatening the model of traditional generational farming which is a bedrock the rural economy here in Clydesdale and across the country.
“Ministers need to listen to those in the farming industry and wider rural economy and abandon their plans for a ‘family farm tax’.
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