Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) farmers and (b) landowners on the proposed changes to Agricultural Property Relief.

We are listening to the sector to ensure their views are heard. We have met with a range of farming stakeholders over the past weeks, including the National Farmers Union (NFU), the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), and the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA), and has meetings planned with trade associations in the coming weeks.

The Secretary of State Steve Reed met with NFU President Tom Bradshaw to clarify changes in the Budget. We have also met with NFU, TFA and CLA representatives and recently attended the Eggs and Poultry Industry Conference as part of ongoing engagement with the sector.

The Secretary of State spoke at the CLA’s annual conference on 21 November to hear from farmers directly. His speech can be found here.

Minister Zeichner recently attended and spoke at Northern Farming Conference, the Eggs and Poultry Industry Conference, the Agricultural Industries Confederation Conference, The Tenant Farmers Association Executive Committee and the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution’s parliamentary reception.

We will continue to listen to farmers’ concerns to ensure their views are heard.