NFU Scotland has announced the rescheduling of its postponed tractor rallies, which will now go ahead this weekend, February 1-2, after the farmers’ union was forced to scrap the original date of Saturday, January 25, due to widescale damage from Storm Éowyn.
The union decided to postpone the event, which was originally organised in coordination with farming unions across the UK, at short notice, to allow emergency services and its members to focus on the clear up operations that followed the storm’s destruction.
The tractor rallies serve to highlight the farming community’s grievances over the UK government’s proposed changes to inheritance tax.
NFU Scotland claims the tax will threaten the viability of the family farm model and national food security as a result.
According to NFU Scotland, the rallies will also provide an opportunity for farmers and crofters to express gratitude to the public for their ongoing support and to facilitate further engagement with MPs and local politicians.
NFU Scotland president, Martin Kennedy said: “Scotland’s farmers and crofters have once again demonstrated their key, but often unnoticed, role in rural communities by helping with the clear up operations following the devastating storm last Friday.
“Our decision to postpone events was welcomed and commended by emergency services.
“These events however were planned as part of a UK-wide day of action to send yet another loud and clear message to Westminster that proposed inheritance tax changes would have a devastating impact on prime producers, threaten our family farms and national food security.
“It was great to see to see so many, well supported events take place in England, Wales and Northern Ireland go ahead as planned and this weekend Scotland’s farmers, crofters and supporters will have that opportunity too.”
Kennedy urged Scottish farmers and crofters to come together this weekend in an act of solidarity against the proposed changes to agricultural property relief and business property relief, which were instigated in the October budget.
The protests form part of a nationwide campaign to cease the implementation of the new inheritance tax structure, due to come into effect from April 2025, until “proper” consultation is facilitated with the agriculture sector.
“I encourage all NFU Scotland members, along with others involved with the farming sector to take part and raise awareness of how these taxations proposals would impact their businesses.
“The tractor rallies are just part of our wider, ongoing fight, alongside the other UK farming Unions, to get these taxation proposals reviewed by the UK Government as we campaign to #StopTheFamilyFarmTax,” Kennedy added.
