Tom Bradshaw said the agricultural sector had experienced one of its “toughest years on record”
British farmers are likely to face continued uncertainty in 2026 but have a “stronger foundation” to build on and grow, the president on the National Farmers Union (NFU) has said.
Tom Bradshaw said the agricultural industry could be proud of its “resilience” after coping with “one of the toughest years on record”.
Global geopolitics, ongoing price volatility and uncertainty around farming schemes led to confidence among farmers hitting an all-time low in 2025, according to the NFU, while dry weather “wreaked havoc” with the summer’s harvest.
“It is at testing times like these when I am most proud of our sector,” said Mr Bradshaw. “Proud to see farmers standing together and proud of the work of the NFU to ensure farming’s voice is heard nationally and locally.”
Mr Bradshaw welcomed the Government’s changes to agricultural property relief – a long-standing inheritance tax relief that permitted the tax-free transfer of farmland to the next generation – following campaigning by the NFU, allied industries and thousands of farmers.
Under proposals announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her first Budget, inherited agricultural assets worth more than £1m would have been taxed a rate of 20 per cent. The tax was due to come into force in April 2026 and would have reversed relief that has existed since the 1980s.
Ms Reeves argued the relief was being exploited as a loophole by wealthy landowners to dodge the unpopular tax and was backed by several prominent economic think tanks.
But critics slammed the so-called “family farm tax” and it triggered protests around the UK, with farmers descending on Westminster on Budget Day in November. As well as the farming community, many MPs, including some Labour backbenchers in rural areas, put pressure on the Government over the plans.
Mr Bradshaw said he’d had “two very constructive meetings” with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and dozens of conversations with Defra secretary of state Emma Reynolds on the issue.
Days before Christmas, the Government confirmed the threshold for the tax would be increased from £1m to £2.5m.
“The change has taken 14 months of persistent campaigning,” said Mr Bradshaw. “I am thankful that common sense has prevailed, the government has listened and there is a huge sense of relief for many farming families across England and Wales,” he said.
“It’s also great to see that many of the government’s priority actions from the recently published farm profitability review reflect the proposals we put forward in our own submission.”
He added: “In the new year, as the government takes forward its five key recommendations from the Farm Profitability Review, we stand ready to work in partnership to deliver our shared ambition: an agriculture sector that is set up to thrive and drive economic growth.”
It is understood the NFU will continue to press the government next year on issues including farm safety, flexibility with the Seasonal Workers Scheme and protecting tenant farming rights.
