Have your say! Should British farmers be protesting in the streets?

Changes to inheritance tax rules have angered British farmers, who have planned protests in London tomorrow. Well-known and influential people such as Jeremy Clarkson are expected at the rally outside Parliament - but the government say they have no plans for a reversal of one of the most controversial changes to come out of their Autumn Budget.

Have your say! Should farmers be protesting about the inheritance tax changes? Should they fall in line with other types of business? What do you think about threats to block roads? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.

In October, it was revealed that inheritance tax would be imposed on farms valued over £1 million in the future, where previously they did not. The government argued that it was closing "loopholes" in the complicated inheritance tax system, and was making tough choices to fund big public sector funding over the next five years.

It's been a source of growing contention between rural communities and the new Labour government, and farmers and their supporters are staging protests around the country to try to convince the Prime Minister to back down. One such protest has already taken place near a Welsh Labour conference at the weekend, and another will taking place on Tuesday in London this week.

The National Farmer's Union (NFU), who say that they represent over 45,000 businesses, have labelled the inheritance tax move as a "Family Farm Tax". Their petition, which calls for a reverse of the plans, has nearly 200,000 signatures to date.

Part of the petition reads: "If this tax change goes ahead, it will deal a hammer blow to farming families, after decades of tightening margins, record inflation, extreme weather and increased production costs, many farmers and growers are at breaking point, unable to absorb any more cost burden.

"This matters because it has the potential to reduce UK food production and alongside the increases in employment costs, the cost of food production rises, with many people still facing a cost-of-living crisis."

Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner has said: “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 and I would say to people, take advice because every person’s situation is different and there will be many, many people who will find they are not actually going to be caught by this.”

Some farmers and influential figures have called for more extreme measures, though they are not supported by the NFU. One such measure floated on social media includes using farming equipment to block roads or ports - but 'wilful obstruction of the highway' is a criminal offence, as members of other protest groups have demonstrated in recent years.

Another threat being trailed is withholding the produce from farms in order to put pressure on the government through food security. Transport Minister Louise Haigh has said the government will have backup plans in this case, saying: "The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will be setting out plans for the winter and setting out - as business as usual - contingency plans and ensuring that food security is treated as the priority it deserves to be."

Have your say! Should farmers be protesting about the inheritance tax changes? Should they fall in line with other types of business? What do you think about threats to block roads? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.