Farmers hold rally at Holyrood over funding and inheritance tax

Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon says the uncertainty being faced by farmers is compounded by changes to inheritance tax relief and has called on the UK government to reverse its decision.

She added: “The Scottish government is unequivocal in our support for Scotland’s farmers and crofters.

“They play a vital role fuelling our rural communities and making possible our world-class food and drink sectors and the UK government Budget will penalise them by failing to reverse the real terms cuts of previous years and failing to provide the multi-year certainty they require.”

Ms Gougeon addressed the rally along with representatives from other political parties.

She told them that farmers are the backbone of rural communities and that she was at the rally to hear what they had to say – but she said she could not say what next week’s budget would mean for agricultural funding.

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said for too long farmers had been short-changed by an Scottish government who have seen the agricultural budget as an easy target to make cuts.

He said: “Farmers are already reeling from Labour’s spiteful Family Farm Tax plans.

“The last thing they need in next week’s Scottish Budget is for the SNP to let them down again.”

The UK government has insisted that only the wealthiest farmers would be affected by the inheritance tax changes and that “the vast majority” would see no impact.

Scotland’s Finance Secretary Shona Robison is due to deliver her Budget for 2025/26 in the Scottish Parliament next Wednesday.

It comes following a difficult financial year in which money was taken from nature restoration budgets to fund local authority pay settlements.

Farming leaders are also calling for the restoration of £46m of previously unallocated funds which was removed from past budgets.