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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support farmers whose mental health has been affected by the planned changes to inheritance tax rules for agricultural land and businesses.

We hear the concerns that have been raised around the changes to inheritance tax rules.

This Government will give mental health the same focus as physical health, which is why we are recruiting 8,500 new mental health support workers.

Changes to APR are designed to be fair and sustainable in the long term, and they will not affect most farmers.

Defra has a range of initiatives aimed at supporting farmer’s mental health and wellbeing more generally and we will continue to work with a range of farming charities to ensure that changes in policy are delivered effectively. We have provided £500,000 of funding to deliver projects through specialist organisations to support farmer’s mental health and wellbeing. We will continue to look for opportunities to support farmers and will host a roundtable in December with expert organisations to understand the issues causing mental ill-health in farming communities. Defra’s Farming & Countryside Programme blog also has information relating to external wellbeing services available specifically to farmers and rural communities.

We understand that farmers face numerous challenges which can affect their wellbeing. Recently, we have continued funding support for TB affected farmers and their families through the Farming Community Network, which will provide a national, free-to-access business and pastoral advice service. We will also pay out £60 million through the Farming Recovery Fund to support farmers affected by the unprecedented extreme wet weather last winter.