Agricultural facts: Summary
Updated 25 April 2024
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2024
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Section 1: Key statistics
Figure 1.1: A map of England split by region
Source: Office for National Statistics, Open Geography Portal
Key statistics for England
- Total Income from Farming (TIFF)[footnote 1] in England in 2022 was £5.7 billion. TIFF increased in all 8 of England’s regions with an average increase of 15% between 2021 and 2022 (Figure 1.2). The largest contributor to England’s TIFF in 2022 was the East of England (19%) and the smallest contributor was the North East (4.5%).
- Total livestock output was the largest output[footnote 2] in 5 of England’s 8 regions while total crop output was the largest in the other 3 regions (Figure 1.3). Direct payments made up between 5.8% (West Midlands) and 13% (North East) of total outputs for the regions.
- The North East had the largest average farm size in 2023 (145 hectares) while the West Midlands had the smallest (67 hectares). The average English farm size was 88 hectares (Table 1.1).
- In England, the predominant farm types in 2023 were grazing livestock (41% of England’s holdings) and general cropping (21% of England’s holdings) farms. Nevertheless, the prevalence of different farm types can vary considerably across England’s regions. For example, 37% of holdings in the East of England were cereal farms while only 4.5% of holdings were cereal farms in the North West (Figure 1.5).
- Across all farm types, average Farm Business Income (FBI)[footnote 3] in England increased by 12% between 2021/22 and 2022/23 and was £96,100 per farm (Table 1.4). The North East had the highest average FBI (£193,600 per farm) while the South West had the lowest (£62,800 per farm).
- In 2023, the South West had the highest proportion of England’s total agricultural labour force (22%) and accounted for the largest share of its regular workers (19%) (Table 1.5). However, the South East (including London) region had the most workers per farm (3.6 workers) and the highest proportion of England’s casual labour (29%).
Figure 1.2: Total Income from Farming (TIFF) in 2021 and 2022 (£ million)
| Region | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| North East | 217 | 258 |
| North West | 290 | 383 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 568 | 622 |
| East Midlands | 882 | 939 |
| West Midlands | 601 | 644 |
| East of England | 1,017 | 1,094 |
| South East (including London) | 688 | 813 |
| South West | 810 | 979 |
Source: Total Income from Farming for the regions of England
Figure 1.3: Outputs and subsidies in 2022 (£ million)
| Region | Total livestock output | Total crop output | Direct payments | Inseparable non-agricultural activities | Other agricultural activities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North East | 456 (43%) |
365 (34%) |
138 (13%) |
70 (6.5%) |
40 (3.7%) |
| North West | 1,964 (72%) |
352 (13%) |
213 (7.8%) |
106 (3.9%) |
101 (3.7%) |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 1,696 (46%) |
1,396 (38%) |
244 (6.7%) |
167 (4.6%) |
144 (4.0%) |
| East Midlands | 1,332 (31%) |
2,279 (54%) |
254 (6.0%) |
202 (4.8%) |
174 (4.1%) |
| West Midlands | 1,761 (51%) |
1,199 (35%) |
202 (5.8%) |
172 (5.0%) |
127 (3.7%) |
| East of England | 1,296 (27%) |
2,788 (58%) |
300 (6.2%) |
254 (5.3%) |
205 (4.2%) |
| South East (including London) | 707 (25%) |
1,607 (56%) |
244 (8.5%) |
203 (7.1%) |
113 (3.9%) |
| South West | 3,136 (58%) |
1,407 (26%) |
390 (7.2%) |
284 (5.2%) |
208 (3.8%) |
Source: Total Income from Farming for the regions of England
Notes:
-
Proportions are respective to the gross output value plus direct payments for each region
-
Proportions may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
Figure 1.4: Distribution of farms by size in 2023 (percentage of farm holdings)
| Region | <5 ha | 5<20 ha | 20<50 ha | 50<100 ha | ≥100 ha | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North East | 10% | 20% | 17% | 17% | 36% | 100% |
| North West | 13% | 25% | 22% | 19% | 21% | 100% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 14% | 23% | 19% | 17% | 26% | 100% |
| East Midlands | 12% | 25% | 19% | 16% | 28% | 100% |
| West Midlands | 13% | 28% | 21% | 17% | 20% | 100% |
| East of England | 13% | 21% | 16% | 16% | 34% | 100% |
| South East (including London) | 14% | 29% | 20% | 13% | 23% | 100% |
| South West | 12% | 30% | 22% | 17% | 19% | 100% |
| England | 13% | 26% | 20% | 17% | 24% | 100% |
Source: Defra, June Survey
Notes:
-
“ha” means “hectares”
-
Proportions may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
Table 1.1: Land use in 2023
| Region | Total farmed area (thousand hectares) | Average farm size (hectares) | Rented (% of farmed area) | Arable (% of farmed area) | Permanent pasture (% of farmed area) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North East | 606 | 145 | 40% | 32% | 46% |
| North West | 941 | 76 | 36% | 22% | 61% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 1,125 | 94 | 32% | 52% | 34% |
| East Midlands | 1,172 | 103 | 33% | 70% | 21% |
| West Midlands | 912 | 67 | 30% | 54% | 36% |
| East of England | 1,397 | 127 | 28% | 79% | 12% |
| South East (including London) | 1,099 | 88 | 31% | 56% | 30% |
| South West | 1,746 | 69 | 32% | 43% | 46% |
| England | 8,999 | 88 | 32% | 53% | 34% |
Source: Defra, June Survey
Notes:
-
Arable includes arable crops, uncropped arable land and temporary grass.
-
Rented land must be rented for at least one year.
Table 1.2: Crop area in 2023 as a % of England’s total
| Region | Wheat | Barley | Oats | Maize | Oilseed rape | Sugar beet | Potatoes | Field veg | Hardy nursery stock | Glasshouse | Orchards | Small fruit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North East | 4.0% | 4.8% | 6.4% | 0.2% | 6.8% | 0.2% | 1.4% | 1.7% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| North West | 2.0% | 4.7% | 3.5% | 6.5% | 1.6% | 0.8% | 6.4% | 4.3% | 3.2% | 13% | 0.9% | 0.7% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 14% | 15% | 7.3% | 6.2% | 17% | 7.7% | 19% | 17% | 3.7% | 12% | 0.6% | 1.4% |
| East Midlands | 20% | 16% | 15% | 16% | 21% | 23% | 15% | 27% | 40% | 8.9% | 1.6% | 3.3% |
| West Midlands | 9.7% | 7.2% | 14% | 14% | 12% | 2.8% | 15% | 6.6% | 9.2% | 9.8% | 29% | 19% |
| East of England | 28% | 24% | 18% | 16% | 18% | 64% | 33% | 29% | 13% | 20% | 8.1% | 13% |
| South East (including London) | 13% | 12% | 19% | 12% | 13% | 0.4% | 2.9% | 7.7% | 12% | 31% | 41% | 53% |
| South West | 9.6% | 15% | 16% | 29% | 11% | 1.5% | 7.3% | 6.3% | 19% | 4.6% | 19% | 8.8% |
| England | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Source: Defra, June Survey
Notes:
-
Proportions may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
-
Further data notes on crops can be found below the relevant tables in the statistical dataset for England’s regional breakdown of the structure of the agricultural industry at June.
Table 1.3: Livestock numbers in 2023 as a % of England’s total
| Region | Cattle | Dairy herd | Beef herd | Pigs | Sheep | Poultry | Laying flock | Table chickens | Turkeys | Goats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North East | 4.9% | 1.2% | 11% | 3.2% | 13% | 1.5% | 2.7% | 1.5% | 0.1% | 1.5% |
| North West | 18% | 26% | 12% | 2.3% | 21% | 8.1% | 12% | 7.8% | 5.9% | 7.1% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 10% | 7.1% | 12% | 40% | 14% | 13% | 14% | 13% | 13% | 22% |
| East Midlands | 8.7% | 6.2% | 11% | 9.0% | 8.2% | 17% | 15% | 18% | 30% | 6.7% |
| West Midlands | 13% | 15% | 11% | 4.8% | 14% | 19% | 22% | 18% | 7.2% | 11% |
| East of England | 3.5% | 1.3% | 6.1% | 28% | 2.4% | 24% | 8.9% | 27% | 39% | 5.0% |
| South East (including London) | 7.2% | 4.9% | 9.8% | 4.0% | 7.9% | 5.2% | 11% | 2.7% | 2.9% | 9.8% |
| South West | 34% | 39% | 27% | 8.9% | 20% | 13% | 15% | 12% | 2.1% | 37% |
| England | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Source: Defra, June Survey
Notes:
-
Proportions may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
-
Cattle numbers relate to commercial holdings only.
-
Sheep numbers include lambs
Figure 1.5: Distribution of farms by type in 2023 (percentage of farm holdings)
| Region | Cereals | General Cropping | Horticulture | Dairy | Grazing Livestock | Mixed | Pigs, Poultry & Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North East | 19% | 14% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 52% | 9.4% | 3.5% | 100% |
| North West | 4.5% | 20% | 2.4% | 11% | 55% | 4.5% | 3.6% | 100% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 21% | 17% | 2.0% | 3.5% | 40% | 8.6% | 7.4% | 100% |
| East Midlands | 27% | 20% | 3.0% | 3.3% | 34% | 7.1% | 5.2% | 100% |
| West Midlands | 14% | 21% | 3.9% | 5.3% | 44% | 7.8% | 4.2% | 100% |
| East of England | 37% | 26% | 4.7% | 0.5% | 18% | 4.9% | 9.1% | 100% |
| South East (including London) | 19% | 23% | 6.3% | 1.9% | 40% | 6.8% | 3.7% | 100% |
| South West | 8.6% | 22% | 4.0% | 7.6% | 47% | 7.6% | 3.6% | 100% |
| England | 17% | 21% | 3.7% | 5.0% | 41% | 7.0% | 4.9% | 100% |
Source: Defra, June Survey
Notes:
-
Proportions may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
-
“Other” refers to unclassified farm types.
Table 1.4: Farm Business Income in 2022/23 (£ per farm)
| Region | All farm types | Cereals | General cropping | Horticulture | Dairy | Grazing livestock | Mixed | Specialist pigs | Specialist poultry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North East | 193,600 (±119,900) |
334,200 (±271,700) |
[x] | [x] | [x] | 57,200 (±26,500) |
192,700 (±109,600) |
[x] | [x] |
| North West | 96,600 (±27,400) |
123,700 (±83,400) |
55,000 (±75,400) |
[x] | 282,400 (±88,600) |
31,100 (±13,000) |
33,600 (±49,700) |
[x] | 146,000 (±204,200) |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 79,600 (±23,300) |
111,500 (±50,500) |
170,300 (±55,000) |
[x] | 197,600 (±68,000) |
13,800 (±8,400) |
78,300 (±99,900) |
117,300 (±60,000) |
96,800 (±154,900) |
| East Midlands | 124,400 (±32,000) |
153,000 (±57,900) |
180,100 (±115,900) |
[x] | 245,100 (±89,300) |
20,300 (±9,000) |
52,100 (±32,800) |
[x] | [x] |
| West Midlands | 87,100 (±21,100) |
106,700 (±46,800) |
61,000 (±68,800) |
165,200 (±284,400) |
186,700 (±58,600) |
22,900 (±14,400) |
62,900 (±23,400) |
104,100 (±46,600) |
54,300 (±35,800) |
| East of England | 122,200 (±34,700) |
126,900 (±48,300) |
177,100 (±88,500) |
50,700 (±115,500) |
[x] | 6,200 (±28,800) |
117,700 (±156,400) |
109,200 (±87,000) |
[x] |
| South East (including London) | 102,700 (±31,300) |
179,700 (±76,100) |
200,700 (±214,600) |
81,700 (±78,300) |
233,500 (±90,800) |
20,900 (±10,200) |
110,900 (±75,700) |
[x] | [x] |
| South West | 62,800 (±14,300) |
128,400 (±57,700) |
28,700 (±32,500) |
78,700 (±114,900) |
225,200 (±58,000) |
21,200 (±6,600) |
39,400 (±19,700) |
-22,800 (±89,800) |
86,900 (±67,200) |
| England | 96,100 (±9,000) |
150,400 (±24,700) |
125,200 (±35,900) |
95,600 (±59,800) |
229,200 (±28,200) |
22,900 (±4,100) |
68,000 (±19,600) |
67,900 (±42,300) |
105,900 (±51,500) |
Source: Defra, Farm Business Survey (regional breakdown not published elsewhere)
Notes:
-
“[x]” means “not available”.
-
The Farm Business Survey year runs from March to February.
-
Excludes farms with less than 25,000 euros of standard output.
-
Values in parentheses indicate the 95% confidence intervals.
-
Values are rounded to the nearest £100
Table 1.5: Agricultural labour force in 2023 (number of people)
| Region | Total labour | Average labour per farm | Total labour as % of England | Regular workers as % of England | Casual workers as % of England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North East | 10,123 | 2.4 | 3.5% | 3.0% | 1.5% |
| North West | 32,962 | 2.7 | 11% | 11% | 5.9% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 31,058 | 2.6 | 11% | 10% | 6.0% |
| East Midlands | 32,071 | 2.8 | 11% | 12% | 9.5% |
| West Midlands | 39,825 | 2.9 | 14% | 12% | 19% |
| East of England | 36,116 | 3.3 | 12% | 16% | 14% |
| South East (including London) | 45,592 | 3.6 | 16% | 18% | 29% |
| South West | 64,655 | 2.6 | 22% | 19% | 15% |
| England | 292,401 | 2.9 | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Source: Defra, June Survey
Notes:
-
Proportions may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
-
Total labour includes farmers, partners, directors, spouses, salaried managers, regular and casual workers.
-
Casual workers are those usually employed for less than 20 weeks of the year.
-
Number of workers per farm calculations are averages based on the total number of farm holdings in the region.
-
Part time workers are those employed for less than 39 hours a week.
-
Percentage calculations for full and part time workers do not include salaried managers.
Section 2: Other geographical breakdowns
Further information and other geographical classifications related to the Defra June Survey can be found on our GOV.UK web page: Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June.
England regional data for aggregate agricultural accounts can be found in the Total Income from Farming for the regions of England publication on GOV.UK.
English county data for farm accounts from the Farm Business Survey can be found on the Farm Business Survey web page.
Section 3: Data notes
Figures are for commercial holdings as at June 2023 (unless stated otherwise). Years may differ between measures since this publication uses data from a range of sources and is updated twice yearly to use the latest data available.
Commercial holdings are those with levels of farming activity above a specified threshold as detailed in this publication’s guidance note.
For further information about the June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture please visit our survey notes and guidance page on GOV.UK.
Section 4: 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
-
Total Income from Farming (TIFF) is the net income to farms once costs have been accounted for, so is calculated as “outputs & subsidies” minus “inputs & costs”. More information on aggregate agricultural accounts can be found on GOV.UK. ↩
-
Total output is the gross value of commodities produced without considering production costs or any additional income received through subsidies. More information on aggregate agricultural accounts can be found on GOV.UK. ↩
-
In simple terms, Farm Business Income (FBI) is the output generated by the farm business minus total farm costs. More information on Farm Business Income can be found on GOV.UK. ↩