Government treatment of farmers unfair, poll finds

More than half of Britons believe farmers are being unfairly treated by the UK government, according to new polling by Ipsos – with the Countryside Alliance supporting that view.

The survey of more than 1,000 adults, conducted online on 11 and 12 June following the chancellor’s Spending Review, found that 54% of respondents think farmers, small businesses and working people are unfairly treated by Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government.

A similar proportion (51%) said people “like me” are also being treated worse than they should be.

See also: Inheritance tax report a ‘wake-up call’, says NFU

The results come amid growing anger over changes to inheritance tax, which are expected to hit family farms particularly hard.

Labour’s decision to impose a 20% tax on agricultural assets worth over £1m from April 2026 has been widely criticised in the farming sector, including by the Countryside Alliance.

Mo Metcalf-Fisher, a spokesman for the group, said: “Farmers work incredibly hard to produce food for us to eat, often against the worst odds.

“There’s a lot of love and support for the farming community among the British public, which makes the decision to whack them with a family farm tax all the more astonishing – and such bad politics.”

The Countryside Alliance has also raised concerns about the cumulative impact on farm businesses of increased employer National Insurance contributions, a rising minimum wage, and looming changes to workers’ rights.

The Ipsos poll highlights that 79% of Britons now expect their personal taxes to rise in the next year – adding to pressure on the government as Labour seeks to justify its fiscal approach while maintaining public trust.

The UK government has been asked to comment.