Guidance

Farm Practices Survey consultation – Conclusion and Next Steps

Updated 16 April 2026

Applies to England

FPS Consultation – Conclusion and Next Steps

The Farm Practice Survey (FPS) consultation ran from 5 February 2025 to 1 September 2025, during which we received various responses from industry bodies, academic institutions, representative organisations, and colleagues across internal policy teams. Across all groups, there was a clear and consistent message: the FPS is regarded as a valuable evidence source, providing important insights into how farming practices are affected by current agricultural and environmental issues. Respondents highlighted the survey’s role in supporting policy development, evaluating the impact of interventions, and informing wider research activity. Many expressed firm views that the survey should continue in a regular and sustainable form to ensure continuity of data.

In light of this feedback, we will continue to run the Farm Practice Survey on an annual basis. This will enable us to maintain a reliable and comparable timeseries and continue providing headline findings that support decision‑making across the sector. We will also continue to publish the annual results, alongside the maintained timeseries, to ensure transparency and ongoing accessibility of core data.

However, due to reducing resources and capacity constraints, we will no longer be able to produce the annual detailed dataset that has historically accompanied the publication. Instead, future outputs will focus on key indicators and high‑level results. We will keep this approach under review and will explore opportunities to reintroduce more detailed analysis should resources allow.

Summary of Key Findings

Responses to the consultation highlighted several consistent themes:

• Strong support for continuation of the survey

Respondents from industry, academia and internal policy teams emphasised that the FPS remains an essential evidence source, valued for tracking trends in farming practice and informing policy development.

• Recognition of the FPS as a unique dataset

Many stakeholders noted that the survey provides insights unavailable from other data collections.

• Need for continuity in the timeseries

Maintaining an annual dataset was regarded as important for monitoring long‑term trends, assessing the impact of policy interventions, and ensuring comparability across years.

• Concerns about reduced detail

While respondents understood the pressures on resources, some expressed concern that reducing the level of detail may limit the ability of researchers and analysts to undertake more granular evaluations. However, most acknowledged that maintaining the core survey and headline outputs was the priority.

Summary of outcomes

• The survey will run annually from February 2026 but may be subject to future reviews. This ensures continuity in the data collection while allowing flexibility to adapt the survey in response to changing priorities, policy needs or resource availability.

• Results will be high level and included in a timeseries; detailed breakdowns will no longer be produced. This streamlined output will continue to provide core indicators for monitoring trends, even though more granular analysis will not be routinely available.

• Minor streamlining of the survey will be implemented to improve question flow and reduce respondent burden. These adjustments aim to make the survey quicker and more intuitive to complete, supporting both data quality and response rates.

• Modernisation of the survey comms to help encourage uptake. This includes clearer messaging around the use of the data and its importance and value as an evidence source.