Campaigning work to continue in the year ahead

2025 was quite a year for the Country Land and Business Association (CLA).

Our lobbying work continues to be a crucial part of our of our organisation as we stand up for the interests of those who live and work in the countryside.

There can be no greater example of this than our campaigning against the government’s proposed changes to inheritance tax.

We had a significant moment just before Christmas when the government announced a change to its planned reforms to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR), with the valuation threshold rising from £1m to £2.5m – or £5m for married couples.

The change comes after intense lobbying by the CLA and others since the reforms were announced in 2024. While many farmers took to the streets and staged protests in London to raise awareness, the CLA worked behind the scenes to highlight to MPs the significant damage the policy would have on rural businesses.

This change will come as an enormous relief to thousands of businesses who faced seeing their businesses taxed out of existence. I would personally like to thank the Labour MPs in our region who have engaged with us and understood our concerns thus far.

However, this announcement only limits the damage – it doesn't eradicate it. Many family businesses will own machinery and land which look valuable on paper and are therefore valued above the new threshold, yet still operate on such narrow profit margins that this tax burden remains unaffordable. Many single farmers also remain at a significant disadvantage given their marital status.

On that basis, we thank Ministers for the constructive dialogue, we look forward to working in partnership to grow the rural economy, whilst continuing to call for these reforms to be scrapped entirely. This work will continue to be a top priority for us in 2026.

Alongside the challenges of inheritance tax, we will be seeking clarity over the future of the Sustainable Farming Incentive in 2026 which was so abruptly halted in 2025 and left many of our members in a state of flux.

We will also be raising the concerns of our members on the wider cumulative business impact of the Chancellors latest Budget. Additionally, we will be seeking to address issues relating to rural housing, planning matters, food production and the environment.

The CLA will remain firmly on the side of rural businesses in the year ahead and will continue to challenge decisions that will have a damaging impact on them.

Please remember that you can stay up to date with the latest CLA political engagement via our dedicated WhatsApp group. You can find details here >