The budget for agriculture from the Defra ministry ultimately turns out slightly higher than expected. Agricultural unions call this a small relief. Nevertheless, there is strong criticism regarding the way the budget is redistributed, especially through the elimination of parts of the fund for nature-friendly farming,
Support for environmentally friendly production methods is reduced because, according to Labour, such practices will soon be seen as 'the norm.' The government believes the sector no longer needs a separate reward for this. However, this creates uncertainty about the continuity of green investments.
At the same time, British farmers face an extension of existing tax regulations. According to several analyses, some benefits for the agricultural sector are being removed, making, for example, tax rules for machinery and business profits applicable to farmers as well. This has sparked resistance from many agricultural entrepreneurs.
One of the most controversial measures concerns the introduction of inheritance tax on farms. Some farmers fear their children will no longer be able to take over the family business. The Labour party defends the plan as necessary to restore fiscal fairness, but opponents call it 'rural betrayal.'
Farmer organizations such as the NFU and representatives of environmental groups express their concerns about the change in direction. According to Agriland, they fear that the phasing out of support measures will delay the transition to sustainable agriculture. They also point to the risk that investments in biodiversity and soil quality will disappear.
Sky News and The Guardian describe the cut to the nature-friendly farming scheme as 'catastrophic' for the landscape and for farmers who depend on that type of support. Some green NGOs even warn of losing environmental gains achieved over the past years.
According to several commentators, the budget revision is presented as a necessary modernization of agricultural policy. The government wants the agriculture and food industry to become less dependent on government subsidies and to place more responsibility on the entrepreneurs themselves. However, this vision is not shared by large parts of the agricultural sector. The unrest is felt in all British regions, according to representatives of farmer organizations.