Thousands of farmers protested at Britain's parliament on Tuesday, some driving tractors through central London, to demand the scrapping of an inheritance tax that they say will destroy family farms and threaten food production.

Farms worth more than about $1.3 million will face an estate tax from 2026, ending a previous exemption and prompting anger in some rural communities.

With banners, bullhorns and toy tractors, thousands of British farmers descended on Parliament on Tuesday to protest a tax hike they say will deal a “hammer blow” to struggling family farms. U.K. farmers are rarely as militant as their European neighbors,

The number of farms that could be affected by the inheritance tax change is disputed. The government says it will only affect the wealthiest 500 estates each year but the NFU and the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) have estimated up to 70,000 farms could be affected.

Thousands of farmers flooded the streets of London protesting an inheritance tax on agricultural land that they say would devastate family farms. The U.K. government says the tax would mainly affect rich individuals who bought farmland as an investment.

British farmers are descending on Parliament to protest a hike in inheritance tax that they say will deal a “hammer blow” to struggling family farms