'Inheritance tax rule change is ludicrous'

Ian Norbury has a short beard and moustache and is wearing a black hat and a black and red fleece with his family business' logo on it. The hat has a thin red outline of a farm animal on the front.
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Ian Norbury said he would have to sell at least part of his family farm if the tax change is brought in

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A farmer has described the government's changes to inheritance tax rules as "absolutely ludicrous", warning he may have to sell the family business as a result.

Ian Norbury, who runs a beef farm in Mobberley near Knutsford in Cheshire, was speaking at a protest held in Chester as part of a national "farming day of unity".

Working farms are currently exempt from inheritance tax but, from April 2026, any inherited properties or land worth over £1m will be taxed at a rate of 20%.

The government previously said the plans would only affect a small proportion of farmers and that it would invest £5bn into farming over the next two years.

Richard Blackburn is standing in front of a tractor as someone takes his photo using a mobile phone. A sign on the front of the tractor says "reverse SME tax hikes" and "back small businesses".
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Farmers including Richard Blackburn came to Chester city centre with tractors and livestock

Tractors and farm animals were brought to Town Hall Square in Chester city centre as farmers called for a rethink.

National Farmers Union vice president Rachel Hallos said the government needed to "sit down and talk to us" to find a solution, claiming it had not taken "the full picture" into account when making calculations.

"You can't just continue to shut the door on us," she said.

Rachel Hallos stands in front of a tractor in Chester's Town Hall Square. She is wearing a brown coat and green and yellow scarf and is wearing glasses.
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NFU vice president Rachel Hallos called on the government to "sit down and talk to us"

Mr Norbury said the government had "just got it so wrong" and needed to recalculate the figures upon which it was basing its decision.

The change would affect him massively as his father owns the farm and is in his 80s, he said.

Richard Blackburn has short greying hair and is wearing a dark blue or black coat. A number of people and a tractor can be seen blurred out in Town Hall Square, Chester, in the background.
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Dairy farmer Richard Blackburn said the tax plans were "a kick in the teeth"

Richard Blackburn, a dairy farmer from Nantwich, said farmers already paid "a lot of tax" and this was "a kick in the teeth".

The change would mean he would have to sell all or part of his farm, he said.

Farming was "quite hard as it is", generally working on low returns, and this insecurity would deter his children from taking over the business, he added.

"This tax is just the wrong one completely," he said.

"There must be other places where they can look."

The government has been approached for a response to the protest.

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