Inheritance Tax Changes Could Increase Suicide Risk Among Farmers

The warning comes after coroners heard that 78-year-old farmer John Charlesworth had committed suicide the day before the Budget was announced.

Farmers protest over the changes to inheritance tax rules in the Budget which introduced new taxes on farms worth more than £1 million, in Westminster, London, on March 13, 2025. Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

Pressures on the farming community will be exacerbated by the introduction of inheritance tax, potentially increasing the risk of suicides among farmers, Parliament has heard.

“We know that a number already have taken that dreadful step—and, as the deadline approaches, the risk will only rise,” shadow minister for environment, food, and rural affairs Lord Massey Roborough told peers on Tuesday.

Roborough, a dairy and livestock farmer, made the remarks during a debate on the Employment Rights Bill, urging the government to track suicide rates among farmers, to assess the impact of planned inheritance tax reforms.

“It would appear to be callous in the extreme that the government refuse to take responsibility for this tragic human cost of their Budget decisions,” the shadow minister said.

From April 2026, agricultural estates and assets worth over £1 million will be subject to a 20 percent inheritance tax rate. This is half the usual 40 percent rate, but farms were previously exempt from inheritance tax.

Farmer Takes His Own Life

The plea comes after Sheffield Coroner’s Court heard last week that 78-year-old farmer John Charlesworth had committed suicide on Oct. 29, 2024, the day before the Autumn Budget was announced.

John Charlesworth’s son, 47-year-old Jonathan Charlesworth, told the coroner that his father had been “growing more and more anxious about inheritance tax and the implications for the farm” in the weeks before the Budget.

He said he believed his father “wasn’t going to let the government beat him” and wanted to “save the farm for future generations.”

Lord Andrew Sharpe of Epsom, the shadow minister for business and trade, alluded to the case on Tuesday.

Sharpe said: “I must also highlight a concern that has been brought to light by recent tragic events and official responses, and that is the case of a farmer who took his own life just before the government’s Budget, which is a heartbreaking example of the immense pressures our rural communities face.

“These pressures are exacerbated by the looming inheritance tax changes that threaten the very future of family farms.”

The shadow minister also criticised the “significant delay” in the publishing of accurate data on suicides, saying in the House of Lords, “Without timely, detailed data, broken down by occupation, policymakers cannot fully understand the human cost of these policies.”

Children ride toy tractors in Parliament Square as demonstrators attend a farmers' rally in London on Nov. 19, 2024. Carl Court/Getty Images

Government minister Lord Sonny Leong said that ministers are in regular contact with the farming community, adding that the government is committed to the UK’s farming industry, highlighting its pledge to invest £5 billion into the sector over the next two years.

Leong said: “It is with immense sadness that we hear about suicides in the farming community, and I agree with noble lords that we need to have accurate and timely data. I promise noble lords that I will speak to my ministerial colleagues at Defra [the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs] and the ONS [Office for National Statistics] as far as their request is concerned.”

The government has previously said that most estates will not be affected by the changes, predicting there will be around 500 claims each year and that farm-owning couples can pass on up to £3 million without paying any inheritance tax.

Rural Mental Health

These peers are not the first to raise concerns that changes to tax rules could drive some farmers to suicide.

Giving evidence to the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Efra) Committee in December, the National Farmers’ Union President Tom Bradshaw told MPs that those in ill health or who fear they will not live long enough to gift their assets without incurring inheritance tax “may well decide that they should not be here on 26 April.”

Bradshaw argued that it was not the money, per se, putting pressure on these farmers, but the impact the change will have on their legacy.

“This is a lifetime of work; it is the heritage and custodianship of our farms,” he had said.

Farmers protest over the changes to inheritance tax rules in the budget which introduced new taxes on farms worth more than £1 million in Whitehall, London, on March 4, 2025. Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire

The wider issue of the mental health of farmers has been a matter of concern for years, owing to the higher than average rates of depression and suicide among the farming community.

A 2023 inquiry by Efra into rural mental health found that “rural workers including farmers face particular stresses, including unpredictable weather and animal health crises, as well as changing and uncertain government policies which can affect their incomes as well as their mental health.”

Some of the other top causes of stress for farmers included worry over future trade deals; negative media coverage and public perception of farming, linked to sustainability and environmental issues; and not feeling valued by the public.

If you’re struggling or need someone to talk to, help is available. You can call Samaritans for free, any time, on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org.

PA Media contributed to this report.