Charlotte Cane MP Axe the Tax to Protect Farmers

Liberal Democrat MP for Ely and East Cambridgeshire, Charlotte Cane, has urged the Chancellor to “act now, before it’s too late” and scrap the damaging Family Farm Tax ahead of the changes coming into force on 6 April.

With only days remaining until reforms to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) take effect, Charlotte Cane has called for an immediate reversal to protect local family farms, rural jobs and the UK’s long-term food security.

Farmers across Ely and East Cambridgeshire are already under intense pressure—from soaring input costs to volatile global markets—while operating on tight margins. Many now face the prospect of being forced to sell land or assets just to meet new tax liabilities.

Despite mounting pressure, the Government has so far refused to fully scrap the changes. While the threshold for 100% relief was increased to £2.5 million, Charlotte Cane has warned that this still leaves many family-run farms locally exposed to significant tax bills on working agricultural land.

The Ely and East Cambridgeshire MP has been calling on the Government to scrap these changes since they were first proposed in 2024, after hearing directly from local farmers deeply concerned about the impact on the viability of their businesses and their ability to pass farms on to the next generation.

Charlotte Cane, Liberal Democrat MP for Ely and East Cambridgeshire, said:

“Family farms are at the heart of our rural communities here in Ely and East Cambridgeshire. They produce our food, steward our landscapes, and support local jobs.

“This policy risks forcing families to break up farms that have been built up over generations, simply to pay a tax bill. That is not just unfair—it is economically short-sighted.

“The Government has already been forced to row back once, which shows they know they’ve got this wrong. But these half-measures still leave too many local farms at risk.

“With just days to go, the Chancellor must act now—scrap this damaging tax and give our farmers the certainty they need to plan for the future.”