While largely in agreement with the sentiments expressed in your editorial (The Guardian view on taxing farmers: big landowners must pay their share, 19 November), I believe there are some issues that need to be understood and addressed. I run a small-scale dairy farm in partnership with my son. We own just over 80 acres and rent another 40 acres annually. This allows us to have a herd of up to 80 milking cows but, despite misguided government assurances, leaves us now vulnerable to the new inheritance tax (IHT) proposals and will make our farm non-viable for the next generation.
The average price of land in Northern Ireland is around £15,000 an acre and to maintain a dairy herd it is essential to upgrade facilities, machinery and the quality of livestock. This necessitates frequently borrowing money and results in very poor cashflow.
