A rally took place on Bigbury Beach in the South Hams, Devon, to urge the government to address concerns over proposed changes to inheritance tax.
The protest was organised in response to new inheritance tax rules announced in the Budget, with farmers calling for their voices to be heard.
The event, known as the March for Farmers, saw participants writing the words “Listen to us” in the sand. Organisers stated that the government had not responded to the growing concerns regarding the changes to inheritance tax.
Cathy Case, the deputy chairperson of Devon’s National Farmers’ Union (NFU), warned that the new rules could cause irreparable harm to farming businesses.
Under the proposed changes, which come into effect from April 2026, farmers will be required to pay 20% on the value of land and assets exceeding £1 million.
The marchers also called for the government to grant farmers more time to prepare their succession plans, allowing them to pass down their businesses to future generations without the fear of substantial tax burdens.
The organisers stressed their concern that rising land values would push many small to medium-sized farms into the tax bracket, leaving them financially vulnerable and struggling to adapt to the new costs.
With the average farm size in the South West at 170 acres and agricultural land values ranging from £9,500 to £21,000 per acre, many farms may find themselves unable to bear the increased tax liabilities.
Case highlighted that the key message from the rally was that farmers need to be heard and that the uncertainty caused by the changes could significantly undermine their businesses.
She noted that the government had previously claimed that the changes would primarily affect the wealthiest estates, but many in the farming community fear that the impact will be far wider-reaching, affecting up to 70,000 farms worth more than £1 million.
The prime minister acknowledged farmers’ concerns, but reiterated that the majority would be unaffected by the changes.
However, the government’s own research showed that the average farm earned a profit of about £45,300, although this figure may be inflated due to the exclusion of farms with lower income levels from the survey.
The NFU and the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) have voiced their concerns, estimating that the new rules will impact many more farms than the government expects.
