The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 25th February 2025:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Farm Retail Association forecasts that more than 700 farm shops could close in the coming decade.
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On 27th January 2025, the Bishop of Lincoln spoke in a debate on the impact of removing agricultural property relief tax, increases to national insurance, and extension of VAT to private schools on the regions and nations of the UK, raising risks to family farms and food security:
The Lord Bishop of Lincoln: My Lords, it is entirely legitimate for the Government to target rich business owners and billionaires who have bought farmland for the sole purpose of avoiding inheritance tax, However, Jeremy Moody of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers said recently that the reform of APR
“hits the people it is supposed to protect, and protects those it is supposed to hit.
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The Bishop of St Albans led a debate on support for farmers to adapt to climate change amid anticipated food shortages on 23rd January 2025:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty’s Government, following reports that the United Kingdom faces shortages of broccoli and cauliflower this spring, what steps they are taking to support farmers and growers to adapt to climate change.
My Lords, I declare my interest as president of the Rural Coalition. I thank those Members of your Lordships’ House who have signed up to engage today on what I believe is an important and topical issue. Our debate is about the shortage of great British broccoli and cauliflowers—and, of course, many other vegetables as well—which have been part of our staple diet for years, and the difficulties caused, at least in part, by climate degradation. It is fitting that we have this debate just prior to the start of agri-science week in this Parliament.
Farming is an extremely tough profession at the best of times, and the range of setbacks and difficulties our farmers face is huge. I have to say I am deeply troubled by the low morale and depression that I hear at the moment from farms across my diocese, in all corners of the agricultural world. I want to take a moment here to pay tribute to all farmers and those involved in associated industries for their hard work, their dedication, their resilience and the critical services they provide to us all as they produce food. We must not take them for granted.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans leads debate on support for farmers to adapt to climate change”The Bishop of Newcastle spoke in a debate on the impact of removing agricultural property relief for farmers on 12th December 2024, with a focus on the effects on farmers in the North-east of England:
The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, I begin by paying tribute to the noble Baroness, Lady Cumberlege. I commend her speech and her lifetime of bold interventions.
Stretching from the Scottish borders to the River Tyne, my diocese is largely made up of farming communities. For many, farming is about much more than making a living and has been their way of life for generations. A tractor horn outside this Chamber yesterday loudly proclaimed that “Old MacDonald has a farm”,’ but for how much longer?
I appreciate that the Government intend to target wealthy landowners buying land to avoid tax, but I fear that they have not adequately considered the impact on tenant farmers. The north-east has the highest regional proportion of tenant farmers. I pay tribute to my noble friend from the north Lord Curry of Kirkharle, who spoke from his own experience. Following the Budget, farming tenants are now faced with a greater lack of security. What assessment has been made, and will be made, of the impact that the changes to inheritance tax will have on tenant farmers?
Continue reading “Bishop of Newcastle raises issues faced by farmers in the North-east of England”The Bishop of Norwich took part in a debate on the impact of the government’s new budget on family farms on 12th December 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Earl, Lord Leicester, for bringing this timely debate. Let us not beat about the hedgerow: the Government’s Budget proposals are bringing huge stress and deep concern to the farming community, as we have already heard. For many, this is the final straw after years of challenges.
I have become aware of a particularly tragic circumstance in south Norfolk where, due to a terminal cancer diagnosis, if the farmer survives after 5 April 2026, the policy change will have a huge impact on his family’s well-being and fortunes. That pressure puts enormous strain on him, almost wishing him to die sooner, because then the farm will be safe.
What of situations of the unexpected sudden death of a young farmer? The family would not only have lost the primary breadwinner but would probably have an unsustainable farm to carry on farming.
Continue reading “Bishop of Norwich speaks in debate on impact of the budget on family farms”The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answers on 12th December 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government:
The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answers on 10th December 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government:
The Bishop of Norwich received the following written answer on 3rd December 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Norwich asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Budget’s changes to agricultural property relief from inheritance tax on the mental health of farming families who own small farms.
Continue reading “Bishop of Norwich asks about impact of changes to agricultural property relief on farming families”The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the impact of flooding on farming communities on 26th November 2025, following a government statement on the aftermath of Storm Bert:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I ask the Minister to return to our farming communities. We know that this is a complex problem and we rely on our farmers to work very collaboratively with all sorts of agencies to try to prevent the water coming down into vulnerable areas. As we have noted in the last few days, our farming community is already quite vulnerable and feeling very nervous, particularly because there are some reports that the Countryside Stewardship higher-tier scheme may not open until mid-2025. It is another thing that may affect some of our farmers. Will the Minister commit to ensuring that her department does everything it can to bring the application dates of the Countryside Stewardship higher-tier fund forward as much as possible, to help our farmers?
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about impact of flooding on farming communities”The Bishop of Norwich received the following written answers on 25th November 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Norwich asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Budget’s changes to agricultural property relief from inheritance tax on nature conservation on small farms.
Continue reading “Bishop of Norwich asks about effects of inheritance tax on farmers”
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