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In today's Farming in Five, chief reporter Rachael Brown unpicks the Chancellor's Spring Statement after she stood firm on the family farm tax, Defra Secretary has only visited 4 farms since Labour's General Election, with his ministers for flood and nature not visiting any, and livestock farmers are being encouraged to sign up for free vet visits through the TB Advisory Service (TBAS) before the service’s funding ends

With the family farm tax hanging over the agricultural industry and the policy continuing to dominate headlines, Jeremy Moody answers readers' questions on inheritance planning

Scottish MPs told James Murray, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, his Government needs to amend section 177 of the Inheritance Tax Act 1984 to ensure Scottish tenant farmers are excluded from reforms to Agricultural Property Relief

In today's Farming in Five, chief reporter Rachael Brown gives a round up of the latest updates from Treasury and farming leaders on the family farm tax. She looks ahead to the NFU conference next week where the Defra Secretary will give a speech to farmers, but the Prime Minister is not expected to attend

In today's Farming in Five, chief reporter Rachael Brown reports on the farming unions' meeting with Treasury to discuss the family farm tax, where farming leaders felt the door had been 'slammed in their faces' once again. Unions now say their focus is on getting more Labour backbench MPs including those in the inner cities to pressurise the Government ahead of the Finance Bill in Autumn. And in other news, the UK's borders have been called into question once again after 600kg of illegal meat was seized in Northern Ireland, and growers are being urged to be extra vigilant amid warnings that organised crime gangs are targeting rural properties

In today's Farming In Five, chief reporter Rachael Brown reports on the PM being pressurised by the Conservative party to show his face at NFU conference next week to address farmers' concerns over inheritance tax changes, farming unions are due to meet with Treasury officials tomorrow, where they hope to voice their members concerns and hear some solutions, and egg prices are soaring in the US as the impact of avian influenza is felt across the country.

It is understood NFU, TFA, CLA and the CAAV have been invited to a meeting next week (February 18) with Treasury officials. The devolved farming unions are also expected to meet in a separate meeting

CAAV secretary and adviser Jeremy Moody said: "Our calculations point to the first decade of the proposed policy ending with 89,500 farming taxpayers liable for Inheritance Tax on their farm assets"

Defra confirmed 76 grant items have been impacted. For farmers who have applied for a grant that is temporarily withdrawn, their application will be put on hold and will be contacted early next year

Jeremy Moody, secretary and advisor to Central Association of Agricultural Valuers said the Government's claim that only quarter of farms will be impacted by Inheritance Tax changes ‘misses half of the picture and so understates the effects of the change'