CALLS FOR GOVERNMENT TO MAKE FARMING A NATIONAL PRIORITY
NFU Scotland has used Back British Farming Day to take key concerns facing Scotland’s farmers and crofters directly to MPs at Westminster. At the same time, Defra Secretary Angela Eagle said farming must be treated as a national security priority alongside energy and defence.
Speaking at the NFU’s Back British Farming Day reception, Eagle warned that food supply had been taken for granted for too long and said recent pressures had exposed the need for a more strategic approach to agriculture.
On Wednesday (9 September) NFU Scotland representatives met MPs in London to press the case for measures that protect family farms, tackle rising business costs and encourage investment in the future of Scottish agriculture.
NFU Scotland is preparing to write to the UK Government setting out its concerns on imports and calling for action to ensure UK farmers are able to compete on a fair basis, setting out seven key asks:
• Fully reverse the October 2024 Budget changes to inheritance tax (IHT).
• Address the increased cost of employment arising from higher employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs).
• Increase and extend the Annual Investment Allowance (AIA).
• Pause and review the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) so it does not become an additional tax on UK food production, particularly through higher fertiliser costs.
• Strengthen capital allowances to incentivise investment in productive, environmental and climate-resilient agricultural assets.
• Reverse the tax treatment for double-cab pick-ups used as genuine agricultural working vehicles.
• Maintain reduced fuel duty rates for red diesel
NFU Scotland President Andrew Connon said: “Our message is clear. Backing British farming has to mean more than warm words. Government decisions on tax, investment and trade must support, rather than undermine, our ability to produce high-quality food here at home.”
