A farmer asked for an early death to avoid the inheritance tax for their families, according to an MP.

Speaking at a Westminster debate this Tuesday on the impact of the farming inheritance tax changes, Montgomeryshire Labour MP Steve Witherden became emotional when speaking about the farming families he supports.

He described one farming couple “close to tears” as they told him: “If only I could die now, if only there was some kind of pill I could take now, so that my children don’t have to worry about this.”

The Plaid Cymru-led debate explored the potential impacts of the Labour government’s changes to the Agricultural Property Relief.

The changes would remove the farm exemption from inheritance tax, increasing it to 20 per cent for properties passed on in wills above £1m in value, giving the recipients 10 years to pay.

Mr Witherden called for elderly exemptions to the changes set to take effect in 2026: “I implore the government to exempt farmers who are too late in life to plan for this proposed change.”

He also called for the £1m threshold to be raised: “I support progressive taxation to ensure that the wealthiest pay their fair share towards the upkeep of our society.

“In the 21st century, we see individual plutocrats and super-wealthy multinationals buying agricultural land to avoid paying inheritance tax, with no intention of using it for farming.

“That reduces our farmed land - something we can ill afford, given our fast-growing population in an unstable world.

“If this policy is to target those who buy farmland solely to dodge inheritance tax, then let us make it so: raise the threshold and actually increase the rate for people like that, so that no family farm is affected.”

Leading the debate, Plaid Cymru MP Ann Davies for Caerfyrddin, who runs her own dairy farm when not in parliament, called for the tax to be made at the point of sale rather than through inheritance to be “fairer” and “keep family farms”.

Suggesting other solutions, she said: “These are just a few from experts in the sector, which could have proposed their solutions before the government made their decision, underlining the importance of proper consultation with stakeholders.

“These changes have come at an already difficult time for farmers, with high costs of production, adverse weather and marketplace volatility taking their toll.

“Working farms that have been at the heart of Welsh communities for generations will suffer.

“As a constituent told me, ‘every farmer deserves the right to security of the farm they own or rent.’

“Farms are not businesses but family legacies, vital for our rural economy and key to preserving our Welsh-speaking culture.

“Plaid Cymru supports closing loopholes that allow billionaire landowners to avoid paying their fair share, but this one-size-fits-all approach ignores the unique challenges of Welsh farming.”

A government petition has reached £146,000 calling for the tax changes to be stopped and will be debated in parliament on 10 February at Westminster Hall.