The DUP Agriculture spokesperson said: “Prior to becoming Prime Minister, Andy Burnham publicly indicated that he was prepared to look again at the Labour Government’s ‘death tax’ measures.

“He actually acknowledged that the controversial inheritance tax changes place an unfair burden on generational family farms across the UK.”

Carla Lockhart MP added: “With the autumn budget fast approaching, the new Prime Minister should act on those words. I will be pressing the Prime Minister to listen to our farming families and seriously consider reversing the damaging inheritance tax changes, which continue to cast a shadow over the future of family farms and national food security.

“Myself and party colleagues will continue to raise this issue in Westminster. The family farm tax must be scrapped in its entirety.”

The Upper Bann MP also expressed concern that Mr Burham recently appointed Dame Angela Eagle as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. She said: “Personally, I have nothing against Dame Angela Eagle, but it is deeply concerning that coming from an urban constituency, she heavily defended the inheritance tax reforms.

“Dame Angela Eagle voted five times in Parliament in favour of the hammer blow farm tax, and during her tenure as DEFRA Minister, was quick to dismiss rumours that there would be a softening of the Treasury’s planned reforms.”

“The reforms, implemented in April this year, are morally and physically wrong,” added Ms Lockhart. “Farmers are custodians of the land, and they should not be punished for wanting to pass their life's work on to their children and grandchildren.

“The Government must recognise that food security is national security, and that protecting the future of family farming must be a priority, not an afterthought.”

Late last year the Labour Party revised its original £1 million proposal and increased the threshold for Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) to £2.5 million per person.

“The increased threshold is welcome, but it does not make the policy fair or acceptable,” explained the MP.

She added: “For qualifying agricultural and business assets above that limit, relief is reduced to 50%, potentially leaving families facing a significant inheritance tax bill simply for passing a working farm from one generation to the next.”

Carla Lockhart MP said: “Farmers across Northern Ireland and throughout the United Kingdom have made their feelings very clear. These farms are not simply assets on a spreadsheet or wealth sitting idle. They are working businesses, mostly built up over generations, which provide jobs, produce food and sustain our rural communities.

“At a time when we should be encouraging investment, food production and succession within agriculture, this policy creates uncertainty and undermines confidence.



“The real fear is that families could be forced to sell land or parts of their business to meet a tax liability, weakening the very farms that have been carefully built up over decades.”