A Day of Unity for farmers held on Saturday (January 25) in Saltash garnered widespread support from the public.

The event was part of a national day of action organised by the NFU (National Farmers’ Union) to show support to the farming community in town centres and retail outlets around the country.

A spokesperson for the NFU said: "The day will show MPs and ministers clearly that agriculture across the whole of the UK is united in rejecting this awful policy – a policy we were promised would never happen.”

A group of local farmers at the Tamar View Garden Centre in Saltash attracted attention but also a lot of support from the general public. That was the verdict by local farmer Ashley Jones who farms at Smeaton Farm, Pillaton and is the NFU’s county chairman for Cornwall.

Ashley who was nominated Arable Farmer of the Year in 2024, hosted the meeting in the car park bringing a tractor, stickers and a box of Cornish daffodils to give away.

He said: “We would like to bring awareness to the general public to the changes to the agricultural inheritance tax but also, it’s the bigger picture, so we’d like to really point out things like food security, and how this change in tax will affect more than just farmers.

“Looking at things like the construction industry as farmers aren’t going to be able to invest in their farms, invest in buildings, but also machinery manufacturers who it’s going to effect, and anyone really associated with the countryside. It’s going to have a big effect.

He added, they had received a lot of support from the general public during the day, and had some nice conversations with people who were not connected to agriculture and fully supported what the farmers were doing with many signing the NFU petition calling for the government to ditch the “family farm tax”.

Asked if there were misconceptions with the public around farmers and farming and Ashley said: “100 percent there are misconceptions about how well off farmers are. There’s also the problem that we’re not wanting to avoid paying tax, because we all pay income tax; this is a tax on our assets which we need to be able to produce our food and to survive.

“People definitely don’t understand about the taxation and they need a little bit of education and pointing in the right direction. When they understand the facts and what the changes are, straightaway they say they support us.”

The NFU is encouraging members and non-members to contact their local MP and speak to them about farming.

A petition with 270,000 signatures from the UK’s four farming unions was handed in at 10 Downing Street on January 24. The same day that all the UK’s major supermarkets publicly shared their concerns for the plans, calling for the government to “pause and consult after talks with the NFU”.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the changes to inheritance tax which farmers pay during the October budget statement.