UK farmers urge action on water security and inheritance tax

UK farming leaders are calling for government action to address water security and inheritance tax concerns. Industry representatives are urging Prime Minister Andy Burnham to streamline the process for building on-farm reservoirs to protect the food supply against future droughts. A £15 million Water Management Grant is expected to open this autumn to support water storage for crop irrigation, with the government indicating it may consider additional funding if demand exceeds the initial allocation.

Simultaneously, agricultural organizations are pressuring the government to scrap recent changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) during the upcoming October 28 Budget. The Ulster Farmers' Union has urged the Prime Minister to honor pre-election commitments to review these inheritance tax policies, which currently reduce relief to 50% on qualifying assets above a certain threshold. Farming leaders argue that tax uncertainty continues to hinder long-term investment and succession planning for family farms.