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Frustrated farmers march to York Minster in IHT protest

Philip Case 17 February 2025
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© Clare Wise© Clare Wise

Up to 300 farmers, including children on toy tractors, marched through York in protest of the government’s proposed inheritance tax (IHT) changes.

The demonstration on Saturday 15 February, which ended at the city’s War Memorial near York Minster, is the latest in a series of protests by farming families across the UK.

The protest, dubbed the “March to the Minster”, saw participants don high-vis jackets to show their opposition to the new tax policies introduced in chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget.

See also: 89,500 farmers to be hit by inheritance tax, says CAAV

These changes would impose a 20% IHT on farms worth more than £1m, a drastic shift from the current full relief on agricultural properties.

The new policy has sparked widespread concern over its impact on family-run farms, many of which are already struggling to stay afloat.

Among the marchers were young farming families, including children on toy tractors, highlighting the next generation’s involvement in the fight to preserve their family legacies.

This move echoed the London Farming Rally in November, where similar demonstrations were held to call for a reversal of policies that threatened the future of British agriculture.

The March to the Minster was organised by Phil and Clare Wise, whose family farm in Skipton-on-Swale, near Thirsk, has been passed down through generations since the 1600s.

This marks the second protest they have organised since the government’s IHT reforms were announced.

Mr Wise spoke passionately about the future of family farms.

“There were between 280 and 300 people at the march, including young farming families and their children who we need to take over the farms in the future,” he told Farmers Weekly.

“The government’s inheritance tax policy is having a poor impact on farmers and their mental health. It is challenging, but we are all supporting each other.

“We’re not going to give in. We are going to support each other and we are not going to stop until this awful policy is overturned.”

The protest was also supported by several key political figures, including shadow Defra farming minister Robbie Moore.

Mr Moore, Conservative MP for Keighley and Ilkley, expressed his solidarity with the marchers on X.

‘Tax on tragedy’

Speakers at the event included Andrew Robinson, an accountant and pig farmer, who described the tax changes as a “tax on tragedy”.

He explained that 82% of his farming clients were affected, with many families unsure of how they would manage if a sudden tragedy struck.

The protest in York follows a series of similar demonstrations and discussions, showing the growing frustration among farming families across the country.

Representatives of the NFU and other farming organisations are due to meet with Treasury ministers on Tuesday 18 February in a bid to urge the government to rethink its farm IHT proposals.

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