Government accused of propagating an ‘insulting’ stereotype of farmers in Wales
The UK Labour Government has been accused of propagating an ‘insulting’ stereotype of farmers in Wales.
Ahead of a rally in London by farmers on Tuesday, Plaid Cymru’s Agriculture spokesperson in Westminster has criticised Labour’s “stereotype” of farmers as tax-avoiding landowners.
Carmarthenshire MP Ann Davies, a tenant dairy farmer, criticised Labour’s approach of making decisions “with a broad brush from a distance” without consultation with farming communities.
Error
She also accused the Chancellor of an error in failing “to increase taxes on wealthy landowners who use farmland to dodge taxes and not distinguishing “between these individuals and real, hardworking family farms”.
Ms Davies also pointed out that the average annual income for upland farmers in Wales is £18,600 and said that the UK Government should have properly defined family farms in order to avoid the “fiasco” of recent weeks.
“Welsh farmers are fed up. Labour in both Westminster and Cardiff Bay continue to overlook the struggles of family farms, treating them as an afterthought,” she said.
“The recent fiasco over Agricultural Property Relief (APR) is a perfect example – no consultation, no understanding, just decisions made with a broad brush from a distance.
“It isn’t just APR. Labour’s plan to direct Welsh agricultural funding through the Barnett formula rather than through a ringfenced addition could slash farm funding by 40%.
Mega-wealthy landowners
She added:“These policies reflect a stereotype in Labour’s imagination of farmers as mega-wealthy landowners who buy up land to avoid paying inheritance tax. When it comes to Wales, that isn’t just wrong – it’s insulting. Most upland farmers in Wales barely scrape by on £18,600 a year, far below the average salary, while working far beyond the typical 40-hour week.
“The Chancellor’s error was not to increase taxes on wealthy landowners who use farmland to dodge taxes – most people wouldn’t have a problem with that. Her mistake was failing to distinguish between these individuals and real, hardworking family farms. This failure has resulted in the fiasco where government departments contradict each other on how many farms will be affected.
“Farmers deserve governments that see Welsh farmers for what they are: hardworking, underappreciated, and essential to our rural communities. Plaid Cymru will always appreciate the importance of family farms for our rural economy, for food security, and for Wales’ future.”
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That sentence ….”an error in failing “to increase taxes on wealthy landowners who use farmland to dodge taxes and not distinguishing “between these individuals and real, hardworking family farms”.” sums up the Labour position.
It is not a genuine failure, more a case of deliberately ignoring wealthy “friends” of the party who have used this allowance as a loophole. Labour will always look after the seriously rich. It’s the rest of us that need to be on guard.
What have they said? I still hear commentary on the situation that is at odds here. And from some well regarded experts. I also hear people like Clarkson and Dyson bemoan their tax situation as they thought it was a done deal for succession and flip side hear many concerns for the small owners/tennants. Bizarrely Clarkson has banned Starmer from his pub but allows ex BNP head. I understand many are concerned now that the far right are jumping on this today. (remember they were full on with the 20mph protest and Welsh Cons had pics with them) I also… Read more »
Morning Jeff. I’m interested to know whether you can point out anyone, with whom you disagree, that you’d describe as ‘right wing’. I’m wondering whether, within your personal lexicon, the adjective ‘right’ can exist without the word ‘far’ in front of it.
‘If only there was a careful and correct breakdown of this.’
And we’re not going to get that from the Labour government.
A Labour spokesperson this morning kept on repeating the three million pound mantra.
But that depends on specific best case scenarios.
Including the inheritor of the farm being in a business partnership with their spouse
The farm being handed over by the owner/ and their spouse to the inheritor and the owner/s then living for seven years before dying.
Rachel from accounts’s strategy seems to be to make really unpopular decisions early on, working on the premises that when everything comes right in a few years people will understand, forgive, and forget. The trouble is, that hinges on everything coming right. I’m not optimistic as socialism doesn’t have a great track record on that score.
Rachel from accounts… at last Colin has someone to take him for a walk.
An elegant summary of the problem. Labour continues with its self appointed moral arrogance.