The Country 20/05/25: Farmer Tom Martin talks to Jamie Mackay

Our UK farming correspondent talks about the driest spring in nearly a century and the Labour government not backing down on the controversial inheritance tax.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
He's a UK farming correspondent, goes by the moniker of
farmer Tom Martin. Tom, you're farming about one hundred k's
north of London, and I'm reading from the BBC no
less a source that you are suffering your driest spring
in nearly a century. But don't panic too much because

(00:20):
one Moredon's coming.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
That's right, well, just to the east of London is
the driest point in the United Kingdom. And yeah, we've
had some we've had some very very dry weather. We
get the d word out there, Jamie, the drought word
very quickly. You know, there are people in other parts
of the world, certainly across much of Australia and you know,
the US mainland who would laugh at us for our

(00:44):
use of the word drought. But we are we're a
maritime climate. We're used to pretty regular rainfall and you know,
we've not had any decent rainfall probably for kind of
a good three months. So yeah, we're dry, we're dry,
but I have to say we're driest in the east.
But we're on playground where we are, and that's just
helping us out a little bit. But there are some people,

(01:05):
there's you know, people with their sugar beat coming up,
some of the spring cropping really struggling, and then other
people just delaying some planting as well, so it's it
is a bit of a tough time. We've got our
beans flowering at the moment and they'll be dropping flowers,
so dropping yield and other people losing yield as it's
it stays dry day by day. Yes, it's a bit

(01:29):
of a challenge. We've still get a pretty heavy jew
each morning, so there's a little bit of moisture there,
but we weren't there to harvest. I don't think is.

Speaker 1 (01:37):
There any sign of the government backing down on this
very controversial inheritance text which is going to be very
very difficult for farm succession. We've got a half wooded
party here in New Zealand, Tom called the Greens who
have come up with a similar proposal and their shadow budget.
Not that they're ever going to get anywhere near the
Treasury benches, Heaven help us if they do. But your

(01:59):
lot are and there they're threatening to do this any backdown.

Speaker 2 (02:05):
I mean they are, I tell you what they are.
There's been no signs of a of a background. They've
certainly kind of doubled down on their commitment. It's it's
it's completely indefensible. I can't I can't see the justification
in the various different things they've done. They've they're they're
kind of bringing in compulsory purchase powers there, they've they've

(02:28):
they've canned are sustainable farming incentive and as I say,
the inheritance tax which they're looking to remove the or
kind of reduce the reductions for for land. It's it's
just ill thought through and gosh, besides all the other
things that there are people there reports of people refusing

(02:48):
cancer treatment uh and saying, look, I'm just planning not
to be alive by next April or six, which I
think is when the day comes in. It's it's it's
an absolute shocker on all levels. But there doesn't seem
to be it doesn't seem to be any back down.
There's quite a lot of pressure at the moment from
some MPs to delay it by a year, and there's

(03:11):
also a bit of a call to say, you know,
to give exemptions to older farmers. You know, there is
a rule in the UK that you can that you
can make a gift and if you live seven years
there's a you know, then you don't pay the full tax.
But gosh, you know, Jamie, I don't know if I'm
going to left seven years. You know, it's you're taxed
on bad luck, so it's it's bad legislation. But there're

(03:32):
certainly not don't even look to be, you know, possibly
thinking about moving at the moment.

Speaker 1 (03:38):
Let's just finish quickly on the BBC. I started the
by reporting that the BBC was reporting on the dry
spring and nearly a century. The BBC have also secked
Gary Lineker from hosting your football coverage and I was
going to talk to you about that, but you don't
know anything about football. You're a rugby man. Are you
excited about the Lions heading to Australia? That would be

(03:59):
a good win a trip for you, Tom well would
be for you, yes, of course.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
Yeah, it would be a summer trip for me, so
it be it would be harvest time, so that would
be a no for me, but it would be. Yeah,
it's something I'm really looking forward to for the Phountain Saints,
that's my local team as part of the Lion's lineup,
so that's that's pretty exciting. But yeah, I think it's
going to be a great tour, you know, really strong team.

(04:26):
I hope there's a great Australian team to to play
them as well. And we have some fantastic running rugby.
And as for Garylnic, I mean, he's he's He's made
a few kind of faux pas in terms of his
social media tweets and messages in the past, and this
this is just another one that's bitten him. And and
perhaps perhaps he's just gone on too long and shot

(04:47):
his mouth off a little bit too much, but who knows.
I'm sure he'll do well. He's always had a reputations
that as the kind of good guy in football and unfortunately,
I just at the end of a fantastic career, it
just sowed by, you know, by some pretty loose social
media posts.

Speaker 1 (05:05):
Good luck to your Northampton signs up against Border I
think in that European Final and did you got you
guys tipped up Jordi Barrett's Leinster team, didn't you?

Speaker 2 (05:14):
Oh, tremendous games, so many commentators said the game of
their lives. It was an amazing game and Leinster a
phenomenal team. Thirteen of the of the Irish starting fifteen
or was it twelve Irish studying fifteen play for Leinster.
Absolutely phenomenal. Two teams just went at each other for
eighty minutes in the stadium there in Dublin. Phenomenal atmosphere,

(05:39):
fans all together drinking and having a great time afterwards.
Tremendous game of rugby and for me as a Saints fan,
the right result.

Speaker 1 (05:46):
Good man, Hey farmer Tom Martin. I hope you get
some rain just north of London there. We'll check to
you again next month.

Speaker 2 (05:53):
Thank you.