Farmers protest in Hexham against “attack on rural economy”

Simon Bainbridge, who farms at Cambo, Northumberland, was attending the conference and hoped to question the minister.

“I want to tell him how farmers are feeling on the back of two miserable harvests,” he said.

“Financial support for farms is being reduced more quickly than we thought, it feels like an attack on all sides for everybody is the rural community.”

Iain Brown, who farms in North Northumberland said the government had “no concept” of how hard farmers worked for “so little”.

“We’ve got mortgages to pay, and are working flat out, and we are told it’s the wealthy landowners that can afford to pay more.”

The government said the majority of family farms would still be able to be inherited tax-free, with only the country’s 500 richest estates likely to pay more.

In his speech, Zeichner told the conference the government farming budget of £500m for the next two years represented “record” spending on agriculture.

He added taxes raised would be spent on services benefitting the countryside, such as tackling rural crime and improving health services in rural areas.