Farmers from west Dorset joined thousands of others in London to march to protest changes to inheritance tax.
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) held a massive protest at Whitehall to stand up to the Government’s plans to impose inheritance tax on farms worth more than £1 million.
Farmers have reacted with anger and dismay to the inheritance tax changes for farming businesses, which limit the existing 100% relief for farms to only the first £1 million of combined agricultural and business property.
For anything above that, landowners will pay a 20% tax rate, rather than the standard 40% rate of inheritance tax (IHT) applied to other land and property.
Speaking from right outside Parliament during the protest, farmer James Bowditch, who has a farm at Netherbury, said: "It has been incredible. To get to the city and be with other farmers in the same position, might wake the government up to our problems.
"I spoke to Edward Morello (MP for West Dorset), who says we have got to keep the pressure going.
"If they (MPs) don't start listening to us the pressure will build on farmers. We might let them enjoy Christmas, but they might not have a very nice after-Christmas."
Read more: Government accused of ‘hammer blow’ to farmers as thousands protest in London
Mr Morello, who also attended the march, says that the protest saw a 'good turnout' from Dorset farmers.
He added: "Family farmers across west Dorset have already been failed by a Conservative party that didn’t care about them, and now they're being let down by a Labour government that doesn’t understand them.
"Liberal Democrats are standing up for rural communities, and calling for an axe to the family farm tax that would be disastrous for farmers across West Dorset."
The rally was attended by an estimated 13,000 people according to police.
It was held alongside a mass lobby of MPs by members of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU).
Some farmers warn they will have to sell off land to meet the inheritance tax costs and are threatening to strike over the pressures they say they are being put under by Government policy, while there are warnings over people’s mental health.
TV presenter and journalist-turned-farmer Jeremy Clarkson also joined the march.
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