Official Statistics

Agricultural facts: Guidance note

Updated 25 April 2024

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/agricultural-facts-england-regional-profiles/agricultural-facts-england-regional-profiles-guidance-note

Overview

This series contains eight standalone agricultural factsheets for each of the regions of England. London has been combined with the South East as it has such small amounts of agricultural activity. We have used data from National Statistics sources where possible to give headline information on agricultural activity in the regions. Information on where to get more detailed evidence is included in this document.

Key facts cover:

  • Total Income from Farming
  • Total output
  • Farm types
  • Land areas and use
  • Crops
  • Livestock
  • Labour
  • Farm Business Income

Data sources

The data in the factsheets have been obtained from three Defra data sources: the Defra June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture, the Farm Business Survey, and the Regional Agricultural Accounts. Two of these are classified as National Statistics publications. National Statistics are produced to high professional standards and undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. All of the publications are free from any political interference.

Defra June Survey

The Defra June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture is a large sample survey sent to a representative sample of holdings across England. The data relate to commercial holdings which are holdings with significant levels of farming activity. These are holdings with land or livestock at or above any one of the following thresholds:

  • Five hectares of agricultural land
  • One hectare of orchards
  • 0.5 hectares of vegetables
  • 0.1 hectare of protected crops
  • 10 cows
  • 50 pigs
  • 20 sheep
  • 20 goats
  • 1,000 poultry.

Detailed annual statistics on the structure of the agricultural industry produced using the results of the June Survey of Agriculture are available on GOV.UK.

Farm Business Survey

The Farm Business Survey (FBS) is an annual survey providing information on the financial position and physical and economic performance of farm businesses in England.

The sample of farm businesses covers all regions of England and all types of farming with the data being collected by face to face interviews with farmers. Results are weighted to represent the full population of farm businesses that have at least 25 thousand Euros of standard output as recorded in the annual June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture. In 2022/23, the sample of 1,359 farms represented approximately 52,500 farm businesses in England.

The FBS measure used throughout this publication is Farm Business Income. In simple terms, Farm Business Income is the output generated by the farm business minus total farm costs. Please visit the Farm Business Income webpage on GOV.UK for further information on this measure.

Agricultural Accounts

Regional Agricultural Accounts estimates are published each year under the title “Total Income from Farming for the Regions of England”. Total Income from Farming (TIFF) is revenue generated by production within the agriculture industry, including direct payments, and represents business profits and payment for work done by owners and other unpaid workers. TIFF is the bottom line of accounts itemising agricultural outputs and inputs. The regional accounts are constructed by applying bespoke regional coefficients to each item of the England agricultural accounts. The coefficients are derived from data collected via the June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture and the Farm Business Survey.

Data uses and users

The factsheets have been produced in response to user requests for concise information on agricultural activity at a regional level in England. They are also available to download as individual pages for each region.

Next updates

The factsheets will be updated twice yearly. The first update will occur in April to coincide with release of the Farm Business Survey (FBS) and June Survey of Agriculture results, with a further update in October once the Regional Agricultural Account estimates are published.

The definitive publication dates for each survey will be announced on the research and statistics webpage on GOV.UK.

What you need to know about this release

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to. You can read about how Official Statistics in Defra comply with these standards on the Defra Statistics website.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards using the contact details below. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

Contact details

Responsible statistician: Thomas Pearson

Team: Farming Statistics - Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Email: AUK_stats_team@defra.gov.uk

For media queries between 9am and 5pm on weekdays:

Telephone: 0330 041 6560

Email: newsdesk@defra.gov.uk

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