US agricultural secretary Brooke Rollins told GB News she wants the UK to “put British farmers first” following the new trade agreement between the two countries.
Farmers are concerned about what the agreement means for Britain’s agriculture with tariffs reduced on US products including beef and ethanol in exchange for support for British cars and steel.
US-reared meat has historically faced stumbling blocks in reaching Britain given its food standards.
UK ministers say there will be no downgrade in British food standards and imports of hormone-treated beef and chlorinated chicken would remain illegal.
Brooke Rollins has issued a stark warning to the British Government
GB NEWS / PA
Speaking to GB News’s Political Editor Christopher Hope, Rollins indicated she has little interest in undercutting British farmers and even urged the prime minister to offer them more support.
“Our administration is hyper-focused on putting our farmers first and getting American agriculture to the world”, she said.
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Rollins joined GB News's Political Editor Christopher Hope
GB NEWS
“Not fully understanding the dynamics here in the UK, my suggestion is putting your farmers first and ensuring they’re the backbone of your country.
“Whether it’s America, UK, Canada, EU or Mexico, you cannot have true national security without food security.”
Rollins was asked if she is concerned about the potential plight of family farms in the UK given Rachel Reeves’s changes to inheritance tax.
“It’s a problem, 100 per cent”, she replied.
Brooke Rollins told GB News that farmers are the 'backbone' of a country
GB NEWS
“I think anywhere you’re increasing the cost of your input, the cost of taxes, increasing the cost of the land, you’re going to start closing your farms.
“You will begin to outsource to America. We would love to outsource, we’re such great partners.
“But there are other partners in the world that maybe aren’t the best partners that we have got to be hyper-focused on.”
Farmers are fearing huge tax bills from April 2026 after the Chancellor announced in the Budget that she will restrict Agricultural Property Relief (APR), which exempts farmland from inheritance tax.
A tax of 20 per cent will apply to agricultural assets of over £1million.
Because of the existing tax-free threshold for inheritance tax, two parents leaving a farm to their children may be able to limit the tax to assets over £3 million.
Labour say the move is a necessity to address a crippling economic plight, which they blame the previous Conservative government for.
But farmers fear it will be a hammer blow and cause serious harm to rural communities.
Many have warned they will need to sell their farms to pay the new inheritance tax bill to private equity farms and large corporations who have less of an attachment to the British countryside.
A Government spokesman said:“The Government’s commitment to farmers remains steadfast.
“Our Agricultural Property Relief reforms mean three quarters of estates will continue to pay no tax at all, while the remaining quarter will pay half what most people would pay, and payments can be spread over 10 years, interest-free. This is a fair and balanced approach which helps fix the public services we all rely on.”
