Farmers Weekly Podcast Ep 322: Daniel Zeichner on life at Defra
Daniel Zeichner © Tim Scrivener In an exclusive interview with Farmers Weekly‘s Abi Kay, former farm minister Daniel Zeichner gives an extraordinary account of life inside Defra.
Revelations include Mr Zeichner’s claim that as a minister he knew nothing about government plans to impose inheritance tax on farmers until after they were announced in the 2024 Budget.
See also: Angela Eagle replaces Zeichner as Defra farming minister
He says he was then “dutifully dispatched to defend” the policy to furious farmers.
Mr Zeichner also admits that Labour was not sufficiently prepared for government when it was elected in July 2024.
He says he was unable to tell farmers the “full story” about problems with the government’s flagship Sustainable Farming Incentive, which ran out of money in March 2025.
He also describes feeling “man-marked” by Treasury officials he had never met – and says the government should have foreseen the trouble its inheritance tax plans caused.
The Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker.
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