Pro-green Tories call to scrap inheritance tax on regen farmland
© Tim Scrivener The Conservative Environment Network (CEN) has released its Ploughing Ahead manifesto, highlighting how the government can harness Brexit freedoms to reward fairly and encourage more sustainable farming.
Backed by 26 Conservative MPs, the manifesto’s key recommendations include scrapping inheritance tax on farmland that delivers benefits to nature through Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes, a review of supply chains, and acceleration of plans to extend permitted development rights to farmers who wish to convert farm buildings into shops to sell their produce.
See also: Defra minister hints at SFI cap to maintain food production
The manifesto also calls for greater investment into British agri-tech to boost productivity and reduce environmentally harmful inputs, and for the ELMs budget to be increased to £2.8bn.
CEN MP James Gray said the manifesto “sets out a strong, Conservative approach to supporting farmers as they transition to more sustainable ways of producing food”.
The manifesto’s author and nature programme manager, Jordan Lee, said the pledges could be the key to the Conservatives strengthening the rural vote.
“Farmers keep the nation fed and look after our green and pleasant land. It is impossible to imagine our rural economies and communities without them,” he said.
“The ongoing protests across Europe show the importance of working with farmers, not against them.
“In this general election year, the government should look to seize this opportunity, secure the future of farming and the natural environment, and win over rural communities.”
He added: “Ploughing Ahead is an ambitious, Conservative plan to do just this, through strengthening farmers’ finances, building fairer food markets, cutting planning red tape to help farmers go green, and boosting British agritech.”
The full manifesto can be read at www.cen.uk.com/manifesto