To ask why you support the farmers, regarding inheritance tax?

It's not that I forgot, it's that that has fuck all to do with what we were talking about 🙄

Not every has a partner. What are they supposed to do - marry a random stranger?

I support them. 1M for a farm isn't actually a lot considering you could spend half that on one piece of necessary farm machinery. And I would like to support home grown produce, not watch as farms are paved over with housing estates because they are no longer viable due to IHT.

I'm desperately hoping that some of these most recent posters are not, in fact, farmers. Although, given that the alpha dairy farmer round these parts proved himself unable to understand the difference between perennial and annual plants at a recent Parish Council meeting, I fear that hope may be in vain, and that this might go some way towards explaining why farming's in such a state nowadays 🤦‍♀️

I'm desperately hoping that some of these most recent posters are not, in fact, farmers. Although, given that the alpha dairy farmer round these parts proved himself unable to understand the difference between perennial and annual plants at a recent Parish Council meeting, I fear that hope may be in vain, and that this might go some way towards explaining why farming's in such a state nowadays 🤦‍♀️

Okaaaay 😆
Do you understand what biodiversity actually means?
Relax love, domestic cattle aren't going to become an endangered species any time soon.

I'm desperately hoping that some of these most recent posters are not, in fact, farmers. Although, given that the alpha dairy farmer round these parts proved himself unable to understand the difference between perennial and annual plants at a recent Parish Council meeting, I fear that hope may be in vain, and that this might go some way towards explaining why farming's in such a state nowadays 🤦‍♀️

So you are happy to wipe out whole species of domestic animals? That would be a huge drop in biodiversity. I agree about wild flowers and hedges, but that is the result of neo-liberal policies where profit is the only driver of innovation, with an economy geared to keep a few very, very rich and the rest of us more or less poor (with an illusion of choice e.g. 56 sorts of orange squash). Also, humans are omnivores, not natural vegetarians/vegans. Societies that are vegetarian/vegan use a wide variety of crops to make sure the diet is full of appropriate nutrients, and vegetarians eat dairy products such as cheese, milk and butter (sometimes clarified. e.g. ghee). You not only seem happy to wipe out whole species but you also seem content to destroy varieties and types of food which humans have developed. No dairy animals (cows, sheep, goats etc) means no cheese (so no Stilton, Roquefort, Cheddar, brie, paneer, Cornish Yarg, any more) and no yoghurt either. The end result of such a policy is a highly mechanized culture of grains and pulses protected by chemicals, and involving the destruction of bird and insect populations which eat grains and pulses. The end of that is ecological and economic catastrophe.

Bright green fields are extremely poor wildlife habitat. They have been fertilised (usually with manure, that can contribute to watercourse pollution if spreading takes place in the wrong weather- as it often does), which banishes all the native wildflowers that you used to find in a traditional meadow in favour of 2-3 species of calorie rich grass. We have lost 97% of our native wildflower meadows since WW2. The hedges surrounding them have often been chain flailed to within an inch of their lives, and field margins seem to be a thing of the past. Farmland is a wildlife desert nowadays- all you see is crows.

As for the "What would happen to the animals?" question: well, given that the working life of the average dairy cow is what- 5 years?- after which their milk yield drops and it's off to the knackers with them, if you stopped breeding cows now there would be precious few left within the decade.

Getting a choice of what we do is always dependent on our financial position. Like everyone else they need to cut their cloth accordingly. Nobody with an ounce of sense believe they do it as a charity.

Oh, and my front door is no more than five steps from a field full of sheep and I am surrounded by grazing land.

You forgot to mention the environmental impact of dogs and cats, other pets, llamas, ponies horses …. Banish the lot. Anyone with cash enough to feed an animal is “wealthy”!!!!

Bright green fields are extremely poor wildlife habitat. They have been fertilised (usually with manure, that can contribute to watercourse pollution if spreading takes place in the wrong weather- as it often does), which banishes all the native wildflowers that you used to find in a traditional meadow in favour of 2-3 species of calorie rich grass. We have lost 97% of our native wildflower meadows since WW2. The hedges surrounding them have often been chain flailed to within an inch of their lives, and field margins seem to be a thing of the past. Farmland is a wildlife desert nowadays- all you see is crows.

As for the "What would happen to the animals?" question: well, given that the working life of the average dairy cow is what- 5 years?- after which their milk yield drops and it's off to the knackers with them, if you stopped breeding cows now there would be precious few left within the decade.

Yes, wildlife habitat has been lost but 'green fields' are also habitat, as is drained land e.g. the Somerset Levels, the Fens, Romney Marsh. And to turn scrub into woodland requires management by humans. Virtually all Europe's landscape is man-made (even places that look like wilderness are not, they are often the product of grazing e.g.sheep), and the habitats it supports are a result of changes made over the last 10k years.

And what happens to all the domestic animals?

What you don’t realise is they don’t want to sell. They don’t want to sit on millions, they want to continue in a way of life that they love and what puts food on their table. A job they have basically been doing as charity. And with everyone being so ungrateful that why should they continue. And this has far reaching consequences. Our whole countryside down the drain.

im assuming you live in a town? I’m assuming you haven’t spent 5 mins with a farmer and ever. And it shows.

Nonsense. "Scrub"- in other words brambles and young trees- is an incredibly rich habitat, especially for birds such as whitethroat. Left to its own devices it will eventually progress to closed canopy woodland. Contrast this with your average bright green "improved" field, which is largely a monoculture. Biodiversity in this country has plummeted drastically since WW2, due largely to industrial agricultural practices.

What you don’t realise is they don’t want to sell. They don’t want to sit on millions, they want to continue in a way of life that they love and what puts food on their table. A job they have basically been doing as charity. And with everyone being so ungrateful that why should they continue. And this has far reaching consequences. Our whole countryside down the drain.

im assuming you live in a town? I’m assuming you haven’t spent 5 mins with a farmer and ever. And it shows.

Interesting that Jeremy Clarkson will be remembered as the guy who caused the Labour Party to impose inheritance tax on farms.
I wonder if back in the day, Clarkson ever called into HBOS complaints/customer service and got Rachel Reeves on the phone …. And now she’s getting her revenge.

You do realise you don't actually need to work there after a parent passes away?

It is pretty much unanimously agreed that agricultural land has increased way beyond inflation, and that values do not represent what they actually produce. Something does need done to return land values back in line with their profit value. The current system clearly doesn't work. Will IHT changes help. I don't know, but I suspect the biggest shouters are those with £8m inheritances to protect.

You do realise you don't actually need to work there after a parent passes away?

It is pretty much unanimously agreed that agricultural land has increased way beyond inflation, and that values do not represent what they actually produce. Something does need done to return land values back in line with their profit value. The current system clearly doesn't work. Will IHT changes help. I don't know, but I suspect the biggest shouters are those with £8m inheritances to protect.

see times article below - the value of the farm is very different to the money in the bank. Or another type of inheritance which adds to your life as opposed to being your job for the rest of your life.

Our farm’s valued at £8m — under new rules we’d barely break even

www.thetimes.com/article/bbc6ce97-a306-4780-a2dc-90977a6d958c?shareToken=0ee75a69779223e6e2ebd0a176676d7f

Can you substantiate that claim? It sounds more like the scaremongering that was on the news the other day by Farmer's daughter Rebecca Wilson. So upset that her £10m inheritance was going to be affected.