12.12.2025, London.
Farmers in the United Kingdom have strong reasons to distrust the authorities, Rossa Primavera News Agency agricultural desk wrote.
British politicians are steadily losing the trust of rural residents and farmers — a trend highlighted by a new large-scale study conducted among more than 3,000 rural inhabitants in Scotland alone. This situation has persisted for many years.
A nationwide survey of farmers conducted earlier this year showed that trust in the authorities has hit an all-time low. Since the National Farmers’ Union of the United Kingdom (NFU) began conducting surveys 15 years ago, farmers’ trust has steadily declined, reaching a record low in 2025.
The primary issues concerning rural residents and farmers are access (or rather, the lack of access) to healthcare, public transportation, and housing. These are long-standing factors contributing to the decline and depopulation of rural areas in the UK.
The quality of life and working conditions for many farmers remain poor, while political decisions fail to address and often worsen these issues.
A recently conducted comprehensive study shows that nearly three-quarters of rural residents believe politicians do not understand the needs of rural areas, and in remote regions this figure rises to almost eight out of ten.
Support for strengthening local self-governance is overwhelming. Nearly nine out of ten rural residents support transferring greater decision-making authority to local administrations. Four out of five farmers believe that far too little has been invested in essential infrastructure such as housing, roads, and transport.
Concerns about population decline are also very strong. The most common reason for moving to cities is a lack of jobs, followed by housing shortages and inadequate public transport. Every fifth rural resident says they may move to a city, and this figure rises sharply among young people and parents.
Mark Diffley, founder and director of Diffley Partnership, said the study “throws the spotlight on the range of significant challenges” facing Scots who live in rural regions. Robert Neill, vice president of NFU Scotland, is confident that the report confirms what union members say daily: rural communities are “proud, resilient, and full of potential,” yet face constant barriers to prosperity.
The fact that farmers in the UK have taken to the streets dozens of times over the past year and a half underscores the magnitude of the crisis. The most acute issue concerns the inheritance tax scheduled to take effect in April 2026. Under the new tax policy, farms valued at more than £1 million will be subject to a 20% inheritance tax.
Shortly after the government announced the new tax rules, a survey found that the majority of British farmers expect bankruptcy within the next decade. Since the announcement, the industry has repeatedly warned that family farms will face catastrophic impacts on their businesses and livelihoods.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw said during the protests that he understood how farmers feel when they see their homes, livelihoods and everything they have worked for under threat.
For a year, farmers have been warning about the destruction of entire generations of farming families — a development that would undoubtedly undermine the UK’s food security. Against this background, farmers are demanding that the government reconsider its inheritance tax policy, yet no progress has been made.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
