A farmer who challenged a minister over the inheritance tax changes said he did not think the government was listening to the industry’s concerns. Mark Means, who grows crops near King’s Lynn, confronted Daniel Zeichner after he gave a speech at the Norfolk Farming Conference earlier on Tuesday. Zeichner had told the conference that the reform was part of a “difficult set of decisions” by the government. Mr Means said he felt the minister had only provided “platitude after platitude”. Under the government plans announced in last October’s budget, a 20% inheritance tax on agricultural assets worth more than £1m will be introduced, although the threshold for some farmers to pay will be £3m. Mr Means, who was named farmer of the year by Farmers Weekly in 2024, said he hoped to pass on his business at Terrington St Clement to one of his two sons. But the 55-year-old said there was “not a lot of incentive” to invest if “20% will be taken away if we don’t pass it through a trust”.
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