Thousands of farmers from across the country gathered on Monday afternoon at the Eikon Centre, Lisburn to protest against proposed changes to inheritance tax.
Among those in attendance were passionate agrarian representatives from County Armagh, Tim Kinnear and Bleary Young Farmers member, Ellie Roberts.
The event, organised by Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), provided a forum for disgruntled farmers where they were able to voice their views in the company of politicians, and influential industry representatives, who have promised to take their concerns to Parliament.
If passed, the changes would see a 20% inheritance tax introduced as of April 2026 for farm estates exceeding a valuation of £1m.
While the 20% is half the standard inheritance tax rate, many now argue that this will deter future generations from following in their family’s footsteps.
Such was the proclamation of 20-year-old Bleary Young Farmer, Ellie Roberts, who said the proposed changes have left she and her friends feeling as though their time has been wasted.
Speaking to Armagh I, Ellie said: “Last night’s meeting was very important. It’s going to have a big impact in Northern Ireland.
“Farming is such a massive part of Northern Ireland and a lot of farmers have decided that they are going to close and they aren’t going to pass on the farms if this comes in because they wouldn’t be able to pay all that money.
“My friends all work on their family farms and they are all going to be inheriting. They are very upset.
“It’s a disgrace. A lot of them are at Greenmount College studying agriculture and it’s just such a waste of their time and their family’s time as well.”
Tim Kinnear, who spoke at last night’s event of his own personal experience in inheriting the family farm, shared similar concerns.
“I was explaining that what happened to me in 2017 [when his father, John passed away] that if it happened now to me, or to any other young fella, that the place would just have to be sold basically,” he said.
“It wouldn’t pay you to farm it, there would be nothing left to farm.”
When his father passed away Tim was just 17 years old and was unsure if he wanted to shoulder the responsibility of the family farm.
He continued: “Dad owned 50% of the farm, which he left to mum, and with me being young at the time you can’t really blame him.
“Then about a year or two down the road I decided I wanted to stay at home and farm so mum signed farm, land and everything over to me.
“If that was to happen under today’s plans mum would be taxed inheritance on it, getting the £1m free, and taxed on the rest at about £2.5m.
“On top of that, when she signed it to me she would still have to pay her tax and then I would also have to pay the tax on the guts of £2.5m.”
Tim says that the money has to be “pulled out of your pocket and paid within 10 years” and argues that many will turn to bank loans for support, inadvertently further hampering themselves with the interest.
Another concern for the working farmer is the fluctuation in farming year on year.
Added Tim: “There’s never two years the same and with food prices being so unstable; you don’t know what your wage is going to be one month to the next.
“Thankfully, a lot of businesses now have clicked that it’s not just the farmers that this is going to hit, it will hit a lot of small businesses and food businesses too.”
Unlike Tim, Ellie’s family do not own their own farm but she has long held an interest in the industry and feels passionately about supporting those around her and protecting agriculture in Northern Ireland for future generations.
For Ellie, the plans stand to hurt so much more than the bank balance of future farmers.
“Farmers aren’t rich in money – it’s assets,” she added. “They aren’t in it for the money, they want to look after their country and to feed their country. People often say ‘farmers are born, they aren’t made’.
“They are already struggling so much in this country with Tuberculosis running rife and having their herds culled. They struggle year on year with bad weather and male farmers, in particular, really struggle with their mental health. This is added stress they just don’t need.
Related: The hidden ‘mental and emotional’ health issues faced by farming community
“Women are also fighting and have been trying to push to show they have a place in this industry and now they feel it’s been a total waste of time.”
Ellie’s concern for the mental health of farmers is shared by Tim.
He said: “As for hope I really wouldn’t say there is much hope. There are a lot of people scared and asking questions about how to leave it to their family or if there’s any way around it at all.
“I can foresee a lot of mental health issues coming into this as well.
“Farmers are down and you might have had an animal or two die in a week and then if you have this tax in the back of your mind as well it takes its toll especially if you have a family.
“I have heard boys on the news saying it would be easier to take your own life rather than leave the farm to your family and try to live through this.
“It’s sad to think that men are thinking that way but they are.”
Like Ellie, Tim wants to see support for the farmer extended far beyond the agricultural community. He wants to see public support on a large scale, asserting: “This affects us all.”
He believes that agriculture underpins all other industries, banks included, and states that the tax could have “catastrophic” and far-reaching consequences for the public, business owners and the economy as a whole.
“People assume this is only land-based but it’s assets as well. If I had a farm worth £3m and 600 odd cattle at £2,000 a piece and £1m of machinery laying about, that all comes into it as well as your pension.
“I was watching the Martin Lewis programme and he was saying that farmers could be taxed up to 67% and that’s taking their pension into it.
“It’s sad to think that you have worked your whole life, saved a pension that you didn’t think anyone could touch and now they are going to turn around and take a bit of your pension too.
“There was a bank manger from Ulster Bank speaking last night and he said that if you took the farmer out of the equation a lot of banks would collapse.
“He said farmers between England and Northern Ireland could borrow up to £1b a year and if that was taken away it would have a devastating effect!
“We all deserve a little support for the hard work and dedication that’s put into it. It’s long hours, in all weather and there is nothing you can do but crack on.”
Thousands of farmers have continued to protest today (Tuesday) in London with National Farmers’ Union (NFU) members gathering near Parliament as part of a mass lobby of MPs.
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