// BBC BUSINESS NEWS — FINANZA
Minimum wage rise 'a massive blow' says farmer
Tristan Bennett, of Bennetts Farms in Worcester, said he was disappointed by the Budget
A farmer has said the minimum wage increase announced in the Budget would be a "massive blow" for businesses like his.
The 3.9% rise was confirmed by Chancellor John Healey during his speech in the House of Commons on Wednesday.
It was among a raft of measures that he said were designed to help ease the pressures of the cost-of-living crisis by offering people "breathing space".
But Tristan Bennett, of Bennetts Farms in Worcester, said it seemed like "a lot of tinkering and gimmicks" and that he was "disappointed there was not anything substantial".
As well as a dairy farm, he also runs a glamping site and cafe, and said the minimum wage increase would hit them hard.
"That's going to have a massive blow, especially for the cafe side and hospitality, and a lot of the young people," he told BBC Hereford and Worcester.
"We are trying to take on apprentices on the farm but we're finding it so hard now to make it pay."
Chancellor John Healey said the Budget would provide people with "breathing space"
He said the increase in the small business rate relief threshold from £12,000 to £18,000 would help the glamping side of the business a "little bit".