Debate on family farming in Devon

There is no single, agreed definition of a family farm in England. A parliamentary question was tabled in November 2024 on what definitions the government intended “by the use of the terms ‘small business’, ‘family business’ and ‘family farm’ in the Autumn Budget”. The government response did not provide definitions.

In June 2021 there were 8,634 commercial agricultural farms in the Devon county council area. The average size of these farms was 56 hectares, they contained 0.5 million cattle, 1.3 million sheep and lambs and 5.6 million poultry. The total labour force on farms in Devon, including casual and part-time workers was just over 20,000. Total income from farming (TIFF) in Devon in 2023 was £145 million. This was 26% lower in current prices than in 2022, similar to TIFF in 2021 and above levels in the late 2010s.

Under the Agriculture Act 2020, a new farm support policy is being rolled out in England between 2021 to 2027 to replace previous support under the common agricultural policy. The government is closing the previous area-based ‘direct payments’ scheme, which pays farmers based on the amount of land they farm. It intends to phase out these payments completely by 2027. At the Autumn Budget on 30 October 2024, the government announced changes to the rate at which direct payments would be phased out. The changes mean that farmers who historically received the largest payments will experience the fastest reduction in subsidies, whereas farmers who received lower payments will see a more gradual reduction. For further information, see Defra’s farming blog on Budget 2024: maintaining momentum, 30 October 2024.

At the Autumn Budget in October 2024, the government also announced changes to the treatment of agricultural and business assets for inheritance tax purposes. For further information see section 4.4 of the Library briefing on Inheritance tax: Current policy and debates (November 2024). A petition entitled Don’t change inheritance tax relief for working farms has gained over 100,000 signatures and will therefore be considered by Parliament for a debate.

Devonshire is a high risk area for bovine tuberculosis (TB). This means there is a relatively high incidence of bovine TB, more repeat cases among herd and “a recognised reservoir of infection in wildlife (badgers)”.[1] In September 2025, the government announced a TB Eradication Strategy refresh to end the badger cull. For further information on government strategy, the role of the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and key animal and crop diseases of concern, see the Library’s debate pack for the Debate on biosecurity, scheduled for 4 December 2024.

[1]      TB Hub, Bovine TB Breakdown Map – Risk Areas, Great Britain, accessed 2 December 2024