Angry farmers caused chaos on the main artery through Dundee on Friday as they brought their fight against inheritance tax changes to the Kingsway.
Around 100 tractors, lorries and trucks started today’s three-hour protest at Tealing before heading down the A90 and along the ring road as far as the Swallow roundabout.
They repeated the loop until 1.30pm, and at one point farm vehicles could be seen in one long convoy from the Emmock Road roundabout to the one at Old Glamis Road on Kingsway West.
Organised by Dundee Farming Awareness Campaign, protesters called for Chancellor Rachel Reeves to axe the UK Government’s plan to tax inherited agricultural assets worth more than £1m at 20% from April 2026.
One organiser, local farmer Alistair Hodnett, said the group felt forced to take drastic action.
He said: “We need the government to listen to us and reverse this decision and look at ways to make agriculture profitable to secure the future for the whole population.
“We are urging the public to support us”
A fourth-generation farmer at Balmydown, on the outskirts of Dundee, he added: “The proposed tax will finish so many family farms it’s scary.
“We would be forced to sell off part of the farm leaving the business unviable.
“We will be decimated. My son is taking over in the spring and should I die he will be left with a tax bill he can’t afford – dying is no longer an option for me.”
‘The government has got this very wrong’
Another fourth-generation farmer taking part was Amy Geddes from Wester Braikie in Angus.
Amy said: “The government has got this very wrong.
“They have not properly assessed the impact this would have on the farming industry or the follow-on effect for so many people.
“This will decimate family businesses who won’t be able to afford the tax bills without taking out huge loans.
“We need to protect our farmers so they can provide food for the population.”
Farmer works two jobs to make ends meet
Also the fourth member of his family to farm at South Leckaway at Forfar is Ross Janoch.
He said: “I’m here today because we have to stop this tax.
“I already work two jobs to afford to live going off-shore as well as farming.
“I will eventually be inheriting the farm from my dad and we are currently looking into our options to see if we could continue to farm.
“The tax bill I would have to pay would make it unrealistic.”
A Government spokesperson said: “Our commitment to farmers remains steadfast – we have committed £5 billion to the farming budget over two years, including more money than ever for sustainable food production, and we are developing a 25-year farming roadmap, focusing on how to make the sector more profitable in the decades to come.
“Our reform to Agricultural and Business Property Relief will impact around 500 estates a year. For these estates, inheritance tax will be at half the rate paid by others, with 10 years to pay the liability back interest free. This is a fair and balanced approach which fixes the public services we all rely on.”
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