Victoria Atkins has slammed the government's family farm tax, describing it as a "cruel policy" which will "destroy family farmining in the UK." The shadow environment secretary accused the Labour government of being "so disconnected from the countryside that they don't realise the damage they are making." It comes as thousands of farmers are set to converge in Westminster on Tuesday to protest against the changes to Inheritance Tax announced in last month's budget.
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00:00I think Labour's family farm tax will destroy family farming in the United Kingdom.
00:05And I'm not exaggerating with this, this is the worry, the deep distress,
00:10that farmers across the United Kingdom are feeling.
00:13There is a reason why we had this tax relief over many decades,
00:17to protect that cherished relationship between the families that farm our land
00:22and our environment, to ensure that it remains the countryside that we know and love.
00:27What we're worried about is that this cruel policy removes the ability of family farms
00:33to pass on their farms to future generations,
00:36depriving not just those children of their future livelihoods,
00:39but also putting at risk our food security,
00:42because there is no guarantee that if farmland is sold,
00:45that it will be sold to grow food.
00:48But also the idea that they don't like, as one former Labour advisor said,
00:54they don't like small farmers.
00:57This is part of our rural way of life, and this government is so disconnected
01:02from the countryside that they don't seem to realise the damage they are making.