Applause from the public gallery followed an impassioned speech by Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire Senedd Member Samuel Kurtz, as he called on the UK Labour Government to scrap their changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR).
The debate at the Senedd on March 5 saw Welsh Conservatives and Plaid Cymru unite in calls for the Welsh Labour Government to urge their counterparts in Westminster to reconsider the policy, which has sparked widespread concern among Welsh farmers.
The removal of APR could force many Welsh family farms to sell off land to pay inheritance tax following the death of the farm owner, jeopardising their profitability, impacting the mental health of farmers and opening the door for a takeover of farmland by companies for greenwashing.
Mr Kurtz said during his impassioned speech: “It is disappointing, as has been said, that the 'delete all' motion came forward from the Government on this.
“I don't think that really shows an understanding of the impact that this would have on farmers across Wales, but it rides roughshod over this Senedd in trying to gain an unified voice in standing up for one of Wales's most important industries.
“And I take a moment to declare an interest as well. I don't profess to be a farmer myself—I'm merely a farmer's son and I'm proud of that, and proud of each and every one of those farmers up in the gallery and those watching at home for everything that they do, come rain or shine.”
“We've heard quite clearly around the arguments as to the impact of this policy. It's a wrong policy, it's a bad policy, it's poorly drawn up, it obviously impacts the wrong people in trying to go after those who are looking to circumnavigate paying tax.
“So, that shows that this policy doesn't need just reviewing; it needs scrapping. It needs starting again, and the NFU's hard work that they've put into their clawback scheme is a good opportunity for showing there's an alternative way of doing this, and I commend the NFU for their work around this.”
Speaking after the debate, Mr Kurtz said: “It is shocking that the Welsh Labour Government remains silent on the issue of APR. Even Welsh Labour MPs have recently voiced their support for reviewing this decision.
“The Welsh First Minister met with the Chancellor, the very person leading these changes, and raised none of the concerns of Welsh farmers. I believe this is a dereliction of duty from a First Minister who is supposed to represent all of Wales and all of its people.
“We had the opportunity, as a Senedd, to send a unified message down the M4 to Westminster in support of our farmers, but Labour chose not to take it.
“We must continue applying pressure on both the Welsh and UK Labour Governments. Once family farms are sold off, they will be lost forever, depleting the rural communities that are so much the lifeblood of Wales,” he added.
The debate at the Senedd on March 5 saw Welsh Conservatives and Plaid Cymru unite in calls for the Welsh Labour Government to urge their counterparts in Westminster to reconsider the policy, which has sparked widespread concern among Welsh farmers.
The removal of APR could force many Welsh family farms to sell off land to pay inheritance tax following the death of the farm owner, jeopardising their profitability, impacting the mental health of farmers and opening the door for a takeover of farmland by companies for greenwashing.
Mr Kurtz said during his impassioned speech: “It is disappointing, as has been said, that the 'delete all' motion came forward from the Government on this.
“I don't think that really shows an understanding of the impact that this would have on farmers across Wales, but it rides roughshod over this Senedd in trying to gain an unified voice in standing up for one of Wales's most important industries.
“And I take a moment to declare an interest as well. I don't profess to be a farmer myself—I'm merely a farmer's son and I'm proud of that, and proud of each and every one of those farmers up in the gallery and those watching at home for everything that they do, come rain or shine.”
“We've heard quite clearly around the arguments as to the impact of this policy. It's a wrong policy, it's a bad policy, it's poorly drawn up, it obviously impacts the wrong people in trying to go after those who are looking to circumnavigate paying tax.
“So, that shows that this policy doesn't need just reviewing; it needs scrapping. It needs starting again, and the NFU's hard work that they've put into their clawback scheme is a good opportunity for showing there's an alternative way of doing this, and I commend the NFU for their work around this.”
Speaking after the debate, Mr Kurtz said: “It is shocking that the Welsh Labour Government remains silent on the issue of APR. Even Welsh Labour MPs have recently voiced their support for reviewing this decision.
“The Welsh First Minister met with the Chancellor, the very person leading these changes, and raised none of the concerns of Welsh farmers. I believe this is a dereliction of duty from a First Minister who is supposed to represent all of Wales and all of its people.
“We had the opportunity, as a Senedd, to send a unified message down the M4 to Westminster in support of our farmers, but Labour chose not to take it.
“We must continue applying pressure on both the Welsh and UK Labour Governments. Once family farms are sold off, they will be lost forever, depleting the rural communities that are so much the lifeblood of Wales,” he added.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00this debate today, and we will be supporting it, as you supported our debate before Christmas
00:04as well. However, it is disappointing that it has been said that the delete all motion
00:09came forward from the Government on this. I don't think that really shows, A, the understanding
00:14of the impact that this would have on farmers across Wales, but it goes to riding a rough
00:21shot over this Senedd in trying to gain unified voice in standing up for one of Wales's most
00:27important industries. I take the moment to declare an interest as well. I don't profess
00:32to be a farmer myself. I'm merely a farmer's son, and I'm proud of that. I'm proud of each
00:36and every one of those farmers up in the gallery and those watching at home for everything
00:41that they do, come rain or shine. We've heard quite clearly around the arguments as to the
00:48impact of this policy. It's a wrong policy. It's a bad policy. It's poorly drawn up. It
00:52obviously impacts the wrong people in trying to go after those who are looking to circumnavigate
00:57paying tax. So, that shows that this policy doesn't need just reviewing. It needs scrapping.
01:00It needs starting again, and the NFU's hard work that they've put into their clawback
01:04scheme is a good opportunity of showing there's an alternative way of doing this, and I commend
01:08the NFU for their work around this and supporting farmers, their communities, and not just members
01:14of the NFU as well, but the wider agricultural community as well, alongside other farming
01:19unions as well. But what really frustrates farmers, what really
01:23grinds their gears is when they're made to look like fools. And let's take our mind back
01:27to pre-election. Keir Starmer before said, ëYou deserve a government that listens, that
01:32heeds early warningsí. Well, isn't this an example of listening? Isn't this an example
01:37of heeding the early warnings, given that there's so much discrepancy in which figures
01:42you take as being truthful on this? He also said at the NFU conference, ëLosing a farm
01:48is not like losing any other businessí, showing that agriculture is different when
01:53it comes to the taxation elements of it, because of the impact it would have on those that
01:57work the land, the amount of hands that it has been passed through, generation upon generation.
02:03It's different to other businesses and, therefore, needs to be treated differently.
02:06Steve Reid, now DEFRA's Secretary, he said there were no plans to change APR, no plans
02:12whatsoever. And I was there at a local hustings that the NFU Cymru, FUW and the Young Farmers
02:17hosted in Pembrokeshire during the general election, when the Labour candidate stood
02:21up, looked those farmers in the eye and said, ëNo, there will be no changes to APRí. And
02:26I'm pleased that he's rowed back and he's now calling for a review of this. A review,
02:31for me, doesn't go far enough. This needs to be scrapped altogether. But I'm pleased
02:34that he's stood up and done that for his constituents, because it's the right thing to do, and it's
02:38the right thing to stand there and say, ëThis does not work because of the evidence that
02:42we've heard, and it's about time that more Members do thatí, and this Welsh Government
02:46does that as well. But what have we heard from Welsh Government
02:49and MSes on this? Because we know what some of the backbenchers on the Labour benches
02:53think about agriculture. We heard it here today, one Member saying that we're all millionaires
02:58talking about farmers. I had it two weeks ago that I need to go back to the Young Farmers.
03:02Another Member saying that if you've got TB, well, find another job. That's what backbench
03:07Labour MSes think. But let's see what the frontbench think. We've obviously pushed the
03:13Labour Government to correspond with their UK Government counterparts, and an FOI has
03:17shown that there's been one letteróthere may be more now, and I look to the Deputy First
03:21Minister on thisóthere's been one letter submitted on 28 January, and the letter requests
03:27confirmation that the UK Government and HM Treasury have engaged directly with Welsh
03:32farming unions. That's what it's asking for. It's asking to make sure that the unions are
03:37engaged, which is commendable, but doesn't give a view. It doesn't give a view of what
03:40the Welsh Labour Government is. We'll go, then, forward to a meeting that the First
03:44Minister had with the Chancellor, the very Chancellor that's bringing forward this policy,
03:48who's avoiding having that meeting with NFU and other farming unions. What did the First
03:54Ministeródid she bring that up? In a written question, I asked her, did you bring that
03:57upóAPR changes and inheritance tax changesówhen you met with the Chancellor and the Secretary
04:02of State for Wales? Inheritance taxes, reserved tax, and decisions about the tax and associated
04:08reliefs are a matter for the UK Government. The Deputy First Minister continues to raise
04:13this with the UK Government. So, the First Minister, in meeting with the Chancellor,
04:18bringing forward this very policy, refuses to raise the impact that this would have on
04:22Welsh farmers. That is a dereliction of duty in the respect that she should afford all
04:27of Wales as being the First Minister of all of Wales. I don't think that's acceptable.
04:32So, what can we do? What can we do? We can't change it. Here, we know that. We've heard
04:35it throughout rule of affairs questions today. It's a reserved matter. It's to the UK Government
04:41for them to change their mind. Well, yes, but we can send a message as a Senedd. We
04:46can send a message. We are agreeing with Plaid Cymru here. It would be great if the Deputy
04:52First Minister would rescind the delete-all amendment that's been put forward, back a
04:57unified Senedd voice, and really send a message up the M4, because this partnership in power
05:03that we've all heard so much about isn't really working for farmers, is it?