‘Appalling tax!’ Tory MP backs farmers protests and claims ‘we are all behind you’

Conservative MP Kieran Mullan has launched a scathing attack on Labour’s inheritance tax policy, warning it threatens the survival of family farms across Britain.

His criticism comes as figures revealed that one dairy farm is closing every day in the UK.

The inheritance tax changes have created fresh uncertainty for rural communities already struggling with rising costs and market pressures.

Kieran Mullan MP told GB News: “I would never tell a campaign group of any kind to to give up or to not not continue. It’s incredibly disappointing.

“After all these protests, after the incredibly negative impact these farmers have explained this tax is going to have on them, really putting an end to so many family farms ability to pass on to the next generation.

“At a time when we know food security and the importance of growing our own food is so important.

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“It’s an appalling tax, and I think it’s just one of the many examples of the things that Labour promised quite clearly during the election campaign that they weren’t going to do.

“They were very specific about this. They then brought it in and I just empathise with them doing everything I can.

“And I know all the rest of the conservative MPs support farmers, we get behind them and continue to put pressure on the government to reverse this decision.”

The dairy industry’s decline is starkly illustrated by current statistics.

According to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, Britain now has just 7,200 dairy producers.

This represents a four per cent drop from the previous year and a concerning 19 per cent reduction since 2019.

“We are an endangered species, our number is diminishing,” says Peter Gantlett, who runs a family dairy farm in Wiltshire.

Last month, Japanese company Saputo Dairy terminated agreements with 13 farms who supplied 20 million litres of milk annually.