Up to 400 tractors planned for farmers' Lisburn and Banbridge protest as part of UK-wide day of action over inheritance tax changes

On January 25, a parade of tractors is to demonstrate from the Eikon Exhibition Centre, home of the Balmoral Show, to Banbridge’s Boulevard shopping centre.

The protest kicks off at 12.30pm and is set to last for around 90 minutes.

The tractor run is part of a UK-wide day of protest against looming inheritance tax changes that, say farming representatives, threaten to “destroy the agri-food industry”.

Farmers hope the day will show the level of opposition to measures set out by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her October budget.

From April 2026, farmers who inherit land and assets worth over £1m will have to pay 20% tax on their value.

Agricultural land has previously been exempt from inheritance taxes.

The change sparked a huge outcry, with farming representatives arguing the tax move will threaten family farms and, in turn, undermine UK food production.

The day of action will see similar protests in England, Scotland and Wales, in addition to the 400-strong tractor run in Northern Ireland.

Farmers hope the UK government will call off the tax change once they see the level of opposition to the move.

President of the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), WiIliam Irvine, has urged members of the agricultural community to join the January rally.

“Almost half of NI family farms could be affected,” he said when the protest was announced shortly before Christmas. “We must make it crystal clear to the Labour government that we are not backing down on this issue.

“The government needs to take a long hard look at what they are on the brink of doing and fully grasp the consequences – not only to UK farming, but to UK society.

"Having access to high-quality nutritious food is critical to our wellbeing, yet the Labour government continues to play with fire. The family farm tax as it stands will destroy our agri-food industry, everything we have built up over decades.”

Over the course of this month, the UFU is holding a series of roadshow events in each county in Northern Ireland, during which issues affecting farmers, including the looming inheritance tax change, will be discussed.