Berkshire Farm Girl joins tractor protest against farming inheritance tax changes in London

A young West Berkshire farmer is joining a new protest against inheritance tax changes for farmers in London today (Wednesday).

Industry campaigners at Save British Farming and Fairness for Farmers have organised another demonstration against the Government's plans to impose a 20 per cent inheritance tax on farm assets worth £1m or more from April 2026.

And young farmer Eleanor Gilbert, known online as ‘The Berkshire Farm Girl’, said the Government’s decision is “unsustainable” and will make it “impossible” for young people to work in farming.

Newburytoday spoke to Miss Gilbert as she left Heathrow with a convoy of tractors bound for London this morning.

“I'm really here to support young farmers as well,” she said.

“I've just completed a four-year degree, and it almost seems no point studying for those four years, because farming was so hard to get into before and now it’s almost impossible, because if farmers are going to sell off land, they’d sell it for the maximum price so they can sell the least land.”

And speaking about the impact on her family business, Rookery Farm in Curridge, she added: “It’s been running for over 130 years now.

“It’s my stepfather’s farm and his mother as well. She's 80 and she still goes into the office every single day.

“And if Dan's [Dan Willis, her stepfather] worked it out, on our 500-acre farm that we own, over two generations it would not be there anymore.

“We'd only have 50 acres left and that would not be sustainable, simply due to the fact that we would have to sell off this land to pay this inheritance tax.”

She continued: “Most farmers would be absolutely happy to talk to any of the Government and see if can resolve the kind of issues that we have going on.

“Unfortunately, we haven't [been contacted] in our area, which is such a shame really.

“But within the Labour Government there isn’t anyone that is a farmer or who has been farming before, and I think that could be half the problem.”

Today’s demonstration follows numerous UK-wide rallies over the past few weeks, including a huge demonstration where more than 20,000 farmers descended on Westminster on November 19.