Waitrose, Ocado, Lidl and Aldi have announced their support of the farming community as they call for the government to pause implementation and launch of a consultation over impending changes to the inheritance relief tax.

The discounter said it was “concerned” over the proposed amendments to the agriculture levy, dubbed the ‘family farm tax’, and how it will impact farmers.

Lidl said: “Providing security and long-term investment for British agriculture is key to helping ensure that farmers can continue to produce affordable and increasingly sustainable food for generations to come.”

“We are concerned that the recent changes to the Inheritance Tax (IHT) regime will impact farmer and grower confidence and hold back the investment needed to build a resilient, productive and sustainable British food system.

Lidl added it will be backing calls from the farming community to “pause the implementation of those changes” and urged the government to consult with the industry to “achieve a mutually beneficial outcome.”

Waitrose executive director James Bailey described agriculture as the “backbone of our food system and of rural Britain,” adding that the upmarket retailer is hearing from its farmers that inheritance tax is “limiting their ability to plan ahead”.

“It is important that the government considers the impact of these changes and listens to farmers’ concerns,” he said.

An Ocado Retail spokesperson said: “We’re committed to supporting British farmers and know how hard they work day in, day out. We join the NFU’s call for a consultation on inheritance tax – the proposed increase will impact farmers’ ability to continue developing a resilient British food system.”

An Aldi spokesperson added: “British farmers and suppliers are the lifeblood of our business. We are proud of our support for the UK farming community and of the fact that 100% of our fresh everyday beef, pork, poultry, eggs, butter, milk and cream is British.

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“We all need a farming sector that can confidently invest in its future and continue to produce high-quality British food. That’s why we are supporting the farming community’s calls for the Government to pause the implementation of its proposed changes to inheritance tax until a further period of consultation has taken place.”

The supermarket chains’ comments join those of fellow UK leading grocers, which have voiced their support for the farming sector following last year’s Autumn Budget’s announcement of a 20% levy against inheritance agriculture land worth more than £1m from April 2026.

Today (21 January), Tesco chief commercial officer Ashwin Prasad also expressed the supermarket giant’s support for the National Farmers Union (NFU)’s calls for a pause of proposed change to inheritance relief tax, while Morrisons’ head of agriculture Sophie Throup sent a message of support to the farming community.

Farming campaigners have since demonstrated against the new measures, with groups threatening to blockade supermarket depots, following a Morrisons facility in Somerset being blocked by dozens of tractors earlier this month.

However this weekend, the Morrisons filed a High Court injunction after its depots were blocked, in a bid to avoid further disruptions to its supply chain.