Inheritance tax on farms can be 'positive,' says Minehead farmer following widespread protests
Watch ITV News' Richard Lawrence talk to Holly Purdey
A farmer from Somerset has called on others to have faith in government plans to increase inheritance tax on farms.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced plans to impose a 20% inheritance tax rate on farms worth more than £1 million - prompting thousands of farmers to march in Westminster to protest the government's decision.
But Somerset based Holly Purdey believes the changes could be positive "if managed correctly" and could lead to a decrease in the price and farms and more opportunities for new entrants to buy land.
Holly - who along with her husband is the tenant of a farm near Minehead where they look after sheep, goats, chicken and cattle - said the changes could enable people like her to pass small farms onto their children.
She told ITV West Country: "I think there is a possibility that something positive could come out of it, if it was managed correctly.
"It's really important the interests of family farms are protected alongside the opportunity for new entrants if the price was dropped."
Holly, who herself was brought up on a farm, claims family farms are far from endangered, with "noise coming from social media" causing worry in farming families.
"We have a mental health crisis in farming and it is really important that people take time to look into this themselves, seek advice from the correct people and then we can make more forward decisions going on from that."
Chancellor Rachel Reeves and the Environment Secretary Steve Reed have both defended changes in inheritance tax.
In a joint statement they said: "Farmers are the backbone of Britain, and we recognise the strength of feeling expressed by farming and rural communities in recent weeks.
"It's why we are investing £5 billion into farming over the next two years – the largest amount ever directed towards sustainable food production, rural economic growth and nature's recovery in our country's history."
The Government has said that changes ensure "wealthier estates and the most valuable farms pay their fair share to invest in our schools and health services that farmers and families in rural communities rely on."