Dr Neil Hudson, Shadow DEFRA Minister and MP for Epping Forest, celebrated the farming community's triumphant show of spirit during a mass rally in Westminster to counter Labour's heartless Family Farm Tax which risks selling off prime farmland, seeing food rising prices in shops and hollowing out rural communities.
This week central Westminster came to a shutdown with farmers coming out in their thousands to protest Labour's new Inheritance Tax measures that would damage the next generation of food producers and countryside custodians entering the industry.
On the day Dr Hudson was tremendously busy meeting with local and national farmers, raising vital awareness for farmers in the media. At the culmination of the rally he appeared on stage alongside the Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch and the rest of the Shadow DEFRA Team, Victoria Atkins and Robbie Moore.
Since these new measures were announced in the Autumn Budget last month, veterinary MP Dr Hudson has passionately campaigned against it.
Reflecting on the rally, Dr Hudson said:
"British farming stands at a critical juncture. Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer have a choice to either admit to their mistake, reverse these punitive measures and back British farming, or risk the end of UK farming as we know it.
"Make no mistake, agricultural land will have to be sold off to pay for this heartless tax which will cause price increases at the checkout and gut our vibrant rural communities of those who do so much to protect them.
"Not only have Labour not properly assessed the impact this will have on farms, they have completely overlooked the mental health implications of these measures, and the knock-on effect this will have on farming families, the wider countryside economies, and indeed rural communities which will become hollowed out.
"How far we have come from the pandemic where we recognised as key workers the farmers, abattoir workers, veterinary professionals and everyone else in our rural communities who help put food on our tables when times were tough. It is frankly shocking at how Labour are treating those who are so valuable to society with such disregard.
"One thing to take heart from was the monumental show of solidarity we saw in Westminster this week, with farmers from up and down the nation turning out en masse to make their voices heard. This is not a niche countryside concern - we all eat food and so people are now realising we all must stand up and support our farmers against Labour's heartless Family farm Tax."
