Tractor rally at racecourse in protest at tax plans

A racecourse boss has said he was pledging "solidarity and support" for farmers by asking them to turn up to a meeting in their tractors.

Fakenham Racecourse, in Norfolk, offered free entry to anyone arriving in a tractor in response to the government's plans to change inheritance tax on farms.

Racecourse chief and clerk David Hunter said about 60 tractors turned up to the meet, stating: "We're with the farmers on the concerns they have."

The government has said money raised by the tax change in April 2026 will help fund improvements to public services, including those in the countryside.

Most tractors came from Norfolk and Suffolk, but some made the journey from Essex to park alongside the course.

"It's very important because it's a way of illustrating the concerns - not just for the farming community, but associate businesses as well," said Mr Hunter.

"We're very lucky at Fakenham, we're hugely supported by the farming community.

"Norfolk... is a very important rural county producing a lot of food, and we're with the farmers on the concerns they have of the government's desire to implement inheritance tax onto family farms and the devastation it could have."

He said he feared the tax could also directly affect the racing industry.

He said farms had needed to diversify to find new ways of making money, which had included setting up equestrian centres, stabling and breeding facilities.

Mr Hunter added that visitors to the National Hunt race meeting had been widely supportive of the tractor turnout.

He added it was the first time in his 28-year career that a course meeting had been broadcast on terrestrial TV and he hoped it would help publicise the cause.

Tim Papworth, Norfolk chairman of the National Farmers' Union (NFU), was at the meeting.

"We've got to do something about it otherwise our farms won't be able to be passed down to the next generation and will probably be sold off," he said.

From April 2026, any land worth more than £1m will be taxed upon the death of its owner at a rate of 20%, half the usual rate of 40%.

Farming minister Daniel Zeichner, the MP for Cambridge, has previously told the BBC: "I urge people to look calmly at the detail and I think they will find that the vast majority will be fine.

"The figures from the Treasury are very clear: under 500 farms a year are likely to be affected."

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