Asda has publicly backed farmers in their row with Labour over its inheritance tax raid following tractor protests outside of supermarkets in a new blow to Starmer and Reeves. The Telegraph has the story.
The supermarket chain spoke out for the first time in response to a letter organised by protesting farmers calling on the retail giant to support British agriculture.
Dozens of tractors visited supermarkets in the Midlands and Sussex on Friday to call for their backing against Government plans to impose inheritance taxes on farms.
An Asda spokesman said: “Farming is a vital part of our supply chain. We need a confident farming sector which is able and willing to invest in its future.
“We have been raising our concerns with the Government and will be supporting the NFU’s [National Farming Union] campaign calling for a pause in the implementation of APR [Agricultural property relief ] to allow for proper consultation.”
The NFU has called for the Government to backtrack on plans to make farms worth more than £1 million liable to pay a 20% inheritance tax from April 2026.
They warn the taxes will lead to the break up of family farms and say older farmers will not have time to change their plans to avoid taking the hit.
Support from Asda, the U.K.’s third largest supermarket, comes after Morrisons said it backed farmers in their efforts to secure changes to the policy.
Simon Orson, the Chairman of Midlands Farmers, who organised the supermarket campaign, celebrated the supermarket giant’s response on Friday. …
Mo Metcalf-Fisher, the Director of External Affairs at the Countryside Alliance, said: “The Treasury has seriously misjudged the mood of the wider British public on this issue and it is vital it engages with the rural sector to find a positive way forward out of the mess before it’s too late.”
Mr. Orson and the farmers he led were largely greeted with support from members of the public as they visited supermarket chains on Friday.
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