North Northants Council pushes back on farmers' tax

At the Autumn Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that from April 2026 agricultural assets worth more than £1m, or £3m when jointly owned, will have to pay inheritance tax at 20 per cent. Northamptonshire farmer Milly Fyfe, 39, has said that she feels “betrayed” by the government over the plans, and fears for the future of her family farm as well as the food security of the entire country.

Cllr Alex Evelyn, who represents the Burton Latimer, Broughton and Pytchley ward, will be presenting the motion on Thursday (December 5) evening. He said that farmers and the rural economy “form the backbone” of North Northamptonshire.

“This damaging family farm tax will harm the future of British produce, food supply chains, and opportunities for employment in our great county. As a local authority it is vital we put on record our strong opposition to this policy. Rural voices should, and must, be heard.”

Ms Fyfe is a third-generation farmer running Orchard Farm in Yelvertoft with her husband. She says her two young sons are starting to have an interest in the farm and that the new tax will directly impact their ability to pass it down further generations.

“What we’ll end up doing is having to sell land to pay the bills and the very people that will end up buying the land are the very people that the government are trying to stop from avoiding tax. They haven’t listened to us and we are caught in the trap between the system, which is a one-size-fits-all at the moment.

“Most family farms are just scraping by- we struggle to invest in our business, let alone make a profit. We’re already working really hard to produce safe, high quality food for consumers, but margins are very tight.

“Farms are being passed down through generations and so is the knowledge and the skills. It’s all we’ve ever known really. That’s the worry that all the knowledge will get lost.”

She explained that farmers are often asset-rich but cash-poor as all the money is in the land and equipment. She warned that if more land is sold by family farms it could no longer be used for food which could threaten food security and lead to a heavier reliance on importing goods.

Ms Fyfe added: “I’d welcome more councils to have an open and honest conversation with the very people that are going to be affected so they can feed that back into the decision-makers. I think It can only be a positive that it’s being taken so seriously by councils and I’d like to think that they’re fully supportive and wanting to get behind the farming community and that has some weight.

“Please get behind us because the countryside is going to look very different to what it does now. We just want to make an honest living and that’s what we have been doing for generations and we don’t want to be continually penalised for that.”

North Northamptonshire Council will be asked to produce data to consider the impact of this policy on local farmers and what, if any, support can be offered to them. It has also asked to investigate the effects it could have on food security, local businesses and employment.

Cllr Anne Lee (Labour, Windmill) responded to the motion on behalf of her party saying the debate did not need to be revisited by them.

“Once again, this debate is only wasting valuable time that we could spend on debating issues where we can make a difference in our own region rather than comment on national policies,” she added.

Director of external affairs at the Countryside Alliance, Mo Metcalf-Fisher, said it was “comforting” that the council will consider taking steps to support their farming communities, but that it shouldn’t be necessary. He said that there is still time for Rachel Reeves and the Treasury to “rethink this disastrous policy”.

A National Farmers’ Union spokesperson added: “We welcome councillors seriously looking at this issue, which has the potential to see family farms broken up and made less viable or even sold off. Any help that can be given is welcome and Northamptonshire farmers and growers are seriously worried about their futures following the Autumn Budget and the proposed tax changes.”

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “We understand concerns about changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) but the majority of those claiming relief will not be affected by these changes. We are asking rich estates and the most valuable farms to pay their share.

“This is a fair and balanced approach that protects small family farms in Northamptonshire whilst also fixing the public services that we all rely on. It was the last Conservative government that forced over 12,000 farmers and agricultural businesses out of business, selling out farmers in trade deals, leaving them facing spiralling energy bills and failing to spend £300 million earmarked for them.

“Meanwhile, this Labour Government’s commitment to British farmers remains steadfast, investing £5 billion into farming over the next two years – the largest amount ever directed towards sustainable food production in our country’s history.”