Along with hundreds of other Welsh farmers, I travelled to London last week to oppose the UK Government’s planned changes to inheritance tax law. The government is looking to implement tax reforms to agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR) which will financially cripple the next generation of UK farmers. The strength of feeling from farmers has been like nothing I have seen before, and this was embodied in the show of unity we saw on Tuesday 19th November.

The day before our main lobbying activities, myself and NFU Cymru Deputy President Abi Reader met with the Secretary of State for Wales, Jo Stevens MP, and officials from the UK Treasury. During this meeting, we made it clear in no uncertain terms that these changes will decimate the network of family farms in Wales and our country’s social and cultural fabric.

The following morning, the NFU hosted a mass lobby event in Church House, Westminster, where we welcomed 1,800 farmers for across the UK. I was proud and honoured to share the stage with NFU President Tom Bradshaw. With the whole of the UK print, trade and broadcast media in attendance, we used this event to make a firm and robust case as to why the UK Government has got this policy so fundamentally wrong. The government’s assertion that only 27% of UK farms will be affected appears to be at odds, even, with its own department, Defra. The NFU’s economic analysis, undertaken in conjunction with independent tax experts, indicates the number of affected farms is likely to be closer to 75% - and this is simply unacceptable.

Following the lobby event, our members held meetings with their local MPs to illustrate how these ill-thought-out changes will affect constituent farmers. We met with over a quarter of Welsh MPs and in total 220 UK MPs were engaged with. I applaud all those who travelled to London to make their case with their elected representatives so passionately and powerfully. We need to see MPs defending the interests of their farming constituents.

After the individual MP meetings, I took a short walk across Westminster to take to the stage at the nearby farmer rally alongside the other UK farming union presidents. Looking out over a sea of more than 10,000 farmers, all united in their determination to make their voice heard and bring about change, is a moment that will stay long in the memory. Each attendee was a credit to UK agriculture and conducted themselves brilliantly.

But the show of strength in London is only the beginning. We will continue to challenge and oppose the unacceptable human impact of this policy until we have fundamental changes to the proposed legislation.