UK Farmers

[SunQueen24]

Can someone please explain to me what today is all about?

@Notaflippinclue but family businesses are important too. Might put people off setting up a business if part of it will have to be sold to pay IHT so no longer viable

I feel quite passionately about this but also think it’s being trotted out without anyone acknowledging the elephant in the room - this is already happening, our countryside is already being destroyed and turned into residential developments. If it were only the absence of IHT that was preventing that from happening that wouldn’t be the case.

No it isn’t.

Latest figures 2022-2023. There was a net decrease in the whole of England of 10 hectares of Green Belt. 25 football pitches in the whole country.

Since 2018 Green Belt land has risen from 1,618,290 hectares to 1,638,420. The areas with biggest Green Belt losses are in London and in Manchester. As should’ve expected.

This thread is very anti- Google and very pro ‘make a spurious statement and present it as fact’. www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-green-belt-statistics-for-england-2022-to-2023/local-authority-green-belt-england-2022-23-statistical-release#:~:text=In%202022%2D23%2C%2010%20local%20authorities%20adopted%20new%20Green%20Belt,set%20out%20in%20Table%202.

If you look at it as a percentage of total sales, ref Strutt and Parker article posted above, it’s reported to be 40% of sales for non agricultural purposes - that’s quite significant.

@Notaflippinclue

"Businesses come and go farming is not only our food but the countryside is our heritage and culture massively different"

I fully agree that farming is different from ordinary businesses given their role as guardians of the countryside.

I also understand that many urban voters and Labour simply see the countryside as that dark bit as you drive between street lights and why should this particular business get special treatment to any other business.

But if the government or voters don't want to spend taxpayers money on keeping the countryside green then the farmers should be free to concrete it over in housing instead.

But it’s not significant because the effect has not been to substantially reduce the amount of land available for farming, anywhere in England.

Ok I see what you’re saying, thank you.

Also looking up Google:

AI Overview
Yes, there are working farms outside of the Green Belt in the UK:

Green Belt coverage
The Green Belt covers only about 13% of England's land area, with most farmland outside of it.

Farmland outside the Green Belt
Large areas of hills, valleys, fields, and forests are not in the Green Belt, but are instead counted as agricultural land or open countryside.

Does this mean that just focusing on the greenbelt hectares might be misleading?

Tbh I've completely lost track of whose arguing what and why.

The 40% @SunQueen24 mentions is worrying, but the logic that it is inevitable, so the pace doesn't really matter, I don't follow.

@NamechangeRugby it’s not so much that it’s inevitable, more that we can’t suggest it isn’t already happening.

Ah, OK. Yes, I agree. Thanks

Confusing
@SunQueen24 wasnt just talking about green belt she was talking about the countryside as a whole.

Although local people and planning departments have less say at what is built and indeed if anything is as Labour have said they can and will override decisions or pass applications prior to going to committee.

We now have little say really and it is now easier to build large scale developments in the countryside or anywhere really

Maybe trade in the Land Rover for a Ford pickup?

Farmers generally wait for second hand Land Rovers from Islington, or they already have one which is 20 odd years old. Although, to be fair to your point, which I am struggling with, they do also have Ford pickups.

Yes I have to say my experience isn’t that they all drive top of the range land rovers.

Aquaponics e.g. can be carried out on relatively little land.
If this new IHT rule contributes even in a small way to land redistribution then good because it might allow "outsiders" into the agricultural industry with some fresh ideas. In all other industries experience counts for nothing because technology means everything changes so fast. I n/k why agriculture should be exempt from this reality.
In any case I'm often hearing about farmers kids not wanting to take over the farms from their parents.
Maybe it's time for a good shake up of the British agricultural industry as has happened with all other industries.

Yes I had thought that too re others having an opportunity- it’s a little bit like royalty isn’t it with birth rights.

My concern is the “shake up” might be the acceleration of yet more industrially processed food into our food environment.

Here we go, right on queue Labour partnering with Blackrock to “rebuild the face of Britain” the reason why they’ll screw over farmers for the land no doubt .

It’s absolutely disgusting.

amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/02/labour-plans-britain-private-finance-blackrock

Do have a look at this video of Jeremy Clarkson getting his arse handed to him by Victoria Derbyshire, a real journalist 😁.

What a knob, he can’t have a sensible conversation so tries to rally the crowd.

Thought it was the other way round

https://youtube.com/shorts/uaPbz56AeNw?si=zF2776rb4WSUKcgI

All these poor farmers all got off train in first class lol

Jeremy Clarkson is being used as a distraction from the very legitimate concerns of many people about our food security and countryside.

“ concerned about x,y ,z” .::: Ooh but what about Clarkson,

nice try but i still don’t agree with screwing over our farmers 🙄