Farm IHT plans criticised by Trump’s agriculture chief

US agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins has delivered a blunt warning to the UK government over its plans to impose inheritance tax (IHT) on family farms, describing the move as a “100% problem” and a direct threat to national food security.

Speaking to GB News during a visit to London this week following the signing of a new UK-US trade deal, Ms Rollins urged Sir Keir Starmer’s government to “put farmers first”.

‘You can’t have true national security without food security!’

GB News’ Political Editor @ChristopherHope speaks with US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who urges Britain to put its farmers first amid concerns about changes to inheritance tax. pic.twitter.com/GHLt65t4cY

— GB News (@GBNEWS) May 13, 2025

She criticised chancellor Rachel Reeves’s decision to restrict agricultural property relief – a move that will see inherited farmland worth more than £1m taxed at 20% from April 2026.

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“I think anywhere you’re increasing the cost of your input, the cost of taxes, increasing the cost of the land, you’re going to start closing your farms,” said Ms Rollins.

“You will begin to outsource to America. We would love to outsource, we’re such great partners.

“But there are other partners in the world that maybe aren’t the best partners that we have got to be hyper-focused on.”

Ms Rollins, a key figure in Donald Trump’s agricultural policy team, warned that the tax policy could result in generational family farms being sold off to corporations or foreign investors, weakening the rural economy and Britain’s self-sufficiency in food production.

Her comments align with growing frustration among British farmers, many of whom fear the new tax could force them to sell their land just to meet the bill.

Large-scale farmer-led protests have taken place in London and across the country since Ms Reeves announced the change in the Autumn Budget, and the NFU and others have warned of long-term damage to rural communities.

US food standards ‘safe’

Ms Rollins has also pushed back against UK concerns over American food standards, claiming US beef and poultry are safe and increasingly aligned with global expectations.

“We have decades of research showing American meat is safe – hormone-treated or not,” she said, adding that the US has moved “almost entirely” away from chlorine-washed chicken.

A UK government spokesman said: “The government’s commitment to farmers remains steadfast.

“Our agricultural property relief reforms mean three-quarters of estates will continue to pay no tax at all, while the remaining quarter will pay half what most people would pay, and payments can be spread over 10 years, interest-free.

“This is a fair and balanced approach which helps fix the public services we all rely on.”