Martin Kennedy
NFU, in collaboration with farming unions NFU Cymru, NFU Scotland and the Ulster Farmers' Union, has revealed roadside and gate banners across the country in a national display of solidarity on December 19 – the Big Banner Day.
The banners have been designed to be highly visible in key political constituencies as the unions look to keep public attention and build political pressure on the issue.
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To support the campaign, car stickers will also be available to boost visibility even further, allowing supporters to spread awareness wherever they travel and reinforce the call for action among the wider public.
The public were urged to share photos with the hashtag #StopTheFamilyFarmTax on social media.
Big Banner Day
A tractor rally in North East Scotland will also take place on December 19, leaving from Thainstone Mart, Inverurie at 11am.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: "The Big Banner Day is a powerful visual reminder to the government that our fight to protect family farms is far from over. These tax changes are unjust, based on flawed data and risk destroying the very backbone of British agriculture.
"Family farms have been at the heart of our rural communities for generations, producing high-quality food, supporting local communities and maintaining the beautiful landscapes we all value. The proposed changes threaten not just individual farming families, but the future of the heritage and traditions of an entire way of life."
He added only a combination of public support and political pressure would lead to change and the union was in a ‘unique position to apply that pressure.
"We owe it to our farming families and to future generations to ensure these damaging proposals do not undermine the future of food production."
NFU Scotland president Martin Kennedy added this would keep up the pressure on Government.
"Not only are the taxation proposals imposing untold pressure on family farm businesses, but they completely miss the intended target of large-scale investors using land as a tax haven.
"The volume of evidence disputing the information that Treasury is using to justify its proposals is increasingly compelling and we will continue to build the case," he said.
Family Farm Tax
"With public and political pressure, we must see this changed or our ability to continue to produce food to the standard we are proud of and continue to be the custodians of our landscape will be significantly compromised."
UFU president William Irvine said Government needed to sit up and realise what they were on the brink of doing.
"Northern Ireland produces enough food to feed over ten million people, six million of whom are in Britain and we export local produce to the Republic of Ireland and beyond. The family farm tax threatens to destroy our agri-food industry and food security," he said.
He added farming was the heartbeat of rural life.
"We call on everyone who values the importance of family farming to join us in this fight, get involved in the campaign and stand alongside us. We need your help to save our family farms, and together, we can make it happen."
For more on Farmers Guardian's Save Britain's Family Farms campaign, click here.
