Aldi and Lidl back calls for pause on inheritance tax reforms in support of protesting farmers

Aldi has signed a letter from the National Farming Union calling for a pause in the implementation of changes to the inheritance tax affecting family farms. 

A spokesman for the retailer said: “British farmers and suppliers are the lifeblood of our business. We are proud of our support for the UK farming community and of the fact that 100% of our fresh everyday beef, pork, poultry, eggs, butter, milk and cream is British.

“We all need a farming sector that can confidently invest in its future and continue to produce high-quality British food. That’s why we are supporting the farming community’s calls for the government to pause the implementation of its proposed changes to inheritance tax until a further period of consultation has taken place.”

Lidl GB has too thrown its weight behind the campaign, expressing its “concern” that the changes to inheritance tax will negatively impact UK farming.

“Providing security and long-term investment for British agriculture is key to helping ensure that farmers can continue to produce affordable and increasingly sustainable food for generations to come,” the retailer said in a statement.

“We are concerned that the recent changes to the Inheritance Tax (IHT) regime will impact farmer and grower confidence and hold back the investment needed to build a resilient, productive and sustainable British food system. We, therefore, support the call by the farming community to pause the implementation of those changes and to consult with industry to achieve a mutually beneficial outcome. We will be raising our concerns with Government at any opportunity we get.”

The discounters are the latest supermarkets to call for the government to pause its proposed reforms, after Britain’s largest retailer Tesco called for it earlier today.

The giant’s chief operating officer Ashwin Prasad called for the government instead to put forward long-term vision for the farming sector.