A group of British farmers will refuse to supply milling wheat from Tuesday in what is being called the UK’s first-ever farming strike. The action is in protest against Rachel Reeves’s inheritance tax raid.
The move, designed to highlight concerns over food security and the country’s reliance on imports, is expected to have an immediate impact on the availability of flour and bakery products in the run-up to Easter. Clive Bailye, one of the organisers of the protest, said: “From April 1, a large number of farmers have agreed they will not load milling wheat out of stores. Others are urged to join them to demonstrate the fragility of supply chains and that dependency on imports is not smart.”
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Farmers have decided to ramp up their action against Rachel Reeves’ tax raid (Image: PA/collect)
The refusal to load milling wheat means that flour supplies could quickly tighten, leading to shortages of bread, hot cross buns, and other baked goods.
Farmer and fellow organiser Olly Harrison said: “Farmers that are growing milling wheat are going on strike. They will not be loading any trucks with milling wheat. We are probably going to run out of flour, which means we will run out of hot cross buns and bread.”
The Chancellor in October announced that from April 2026, combined agricultural and business property assets up to £1 million will still receive 100% relief but anything above that will be taxed at an effective rate of 20%.
Under the plans announced in October, if a farmer dies less than seven years after handing the family farm down to their relatives, they would still have to pay the tax.
The Daily Express’s Save Britain’s Family Farms Crusade has demanded a U-turn over the changes set to come into force next April.
A Government spokesman said: “Our commitment to farmers remains steadfast.
“This Government will invest £5 billion into farming over the next two years, the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history. We are going further with reforms to boost profits for farmers by backing British produce and reforming planning rules on farms to support food production.
“Our reform to Agricultural and Business Property Reliefs will mean farmers will pay a reduced inheritance tax rate of 20%, rather than the standard 40% for other businesses, and payments can be spread over 10 years, interest-free. This is a fair and balanced approach, which fixes the public services we all rely on, affecting around 500 estates a year.”
