Official Statistics

Agricultural facts: West Midlands region

Updated 30 October 2025

Applies to England

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

Section 1: Key statistics

Figure 1.1: A map of England with the West Midlands region highlighted

Source: Office for National Statistics, Open Geography Portal

The West Midlands region comprises Shropshire, Staffordshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands conurbation.

Key statistics for the West Midlands region

  • Total Income from Farming[footnote 1] in the West Midlands in 2024 was £725 million, an increase of £169 million (+30%) from 2023. This was a result of a decrease of £35 million (-3.1%) in total crop output, an increase of £101 million (+6.1%) in total livestock output and a decrease of £99 million (-5.3%) in intermediate consumption (Source: Total Income from Farming for the regions of England).
  • In 2024, the largest contributors to the output[footnote 2] value (£3.2 billion) were milk (£578 million), poultry (£421 million), beef (£273 million) and fruits (£257 million). These commodities accounted for 48% of the output (Source: Total Income from Farming for the regions of England).
  • The average farm size in 2024 was 66 hectares (Table 1.1). This is the smallest average farm size of all the English regions and smaller than the English average of 87 hectares.
  • The predominant farm types in 2024 were grazing livestock (44% of the region’s holdings) and general cropping (21% of the region’s holdings) farms (Figure 1.7).
  • In 2023/24 (covering the 2023 harvest), the average Farm Business Income[footnote 3] across all farm types was £56,200 per farm, which was a decrease of 37% from 2022/23 (Figure 1.9).

Figure 1.2: Total Income from Farming from 2019 to 2024 in current prices (£ million)

Year Total Income from Farming
2019 449
2020 446
2021 552
2022 672
2023 556
2024 725

Source: Total Income from Farming for the regions of England

Figure 1.3: Outputs and subsidies split by percentage from 2019 to 2024 (£ million)

Year Total livestock output Total crop output Subsidies (excluding tax) Diversification Other agricultural activities
2019 1,282
(48%)		 947
(35%)		 213
(7.9%)		 126
(4.7%)		 116
(4.3%)
2020 1,321
(50%)		 879
(33%)		 208
(7.8%)		 128
(4.8%)		 111
(4.2%)
2021 1,432
(49%)		 1,029
(35%)		 202
(6.9%)		 144
(4.9%)		 121
(4.1%)
2022 1,653
(49%)		 1,249
(37%)		 174
(5.2%)		 156
(4.6%)		 143
(4.2%)
2023 1,657
(51%)		 1,131
(35%)		 169
(5.2%)		 165
(5.0%)		 151
(4.6%)
2024 1,759
(52%)		 1,096
(33%)		 188
(5.6%)		 169
(5.0%)		 151
(4.5%)

Source: Total Income from Farming for the regions of England

Figure 1.4: Inputs and costs split by percentage from 2019 to 2024 (£ million)

Year Total intermediate consumption Total consumption of fixed capital Compensation of employees Rent and other associated costs
2019 1,493
(68%)		 415
(19%)		 236
(11%)		 53
(2.4%)
2020 1,463
(68%)		 410
(19%)		 242
(11%)		 52
(2.4%)
2021 1,619
(69%)		 426
(18%)		 248
(11%)		 52
(2.2%)
2022 1,880
(71%)		 473
(18%)		 262
(9.8%)		 52
(1.9%)
2023 1,870
(70%)		 473
(18%)		 259
(9.8%)		 51
(1.9%)
2024 1,771
(69%)		 484
(19%)		 255
(10.0%)		 50
(1.9%)

Source: Total Income from Farming for the regions of England

Figure 1.5: Distribution of farms by size in 2024 (percentage of farm holdings)

Region <5 ha 5<20 ha 20<50 ha 50<100 ha ≥100 ha Total
West Midlands 15% 29% 21% 17% 19% 100%
England 14% 27% 20% 16% 24% 100%

Source: Defra, June Survey

Notes:

  1. “ha” means “hectares”.

  2. Proportions may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

Figure 1.6: Distribution of farms by size in 2024 (percentage of farmed area)

Region <5 ha 5<20 ha 20<50 ha 50<100 ha ≥100 ha Total
West Midlands 0.5% 4.8% 10% 18% 67% 100%
England 0.3% 3.4% 7.6% 13% 76% 100%

Source: Defra, June Survey

Notes:

  1. “ha” means “hectares”.

  2. Proportions may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

Table 1.1: Land use in 2024

Measure West Midlands England
Total farmed area (thousand hectares) 897 8,877
Average farm size (hectares) 66 87
Rented (% of farmed area) 30% 32%
Arable (% of farmed area) 55% 55%
Permanent pasture (% of farmed area) 35% 33%

Source: Defra, June Survey

Notes:

  1. Arable includes arable crops, uncropped arable land and temporary grass.

  2. Rented land must be rented for at least one year.

Table 1.2: Crop areas in 2024 (thousand hectares)

Crop West Midlands England West Midlands as % of England
Wheat 136 1,402 9.7%
Barley 57 849 6.7%
Oats 20 148 14%
Potatoes 13 83 15%
Orchards 5.3 18 30%
Small fruit 1.8 10 18%

Source: Defra, June Survey

Notes:

  1. Crops displayed are those more predominant in the area.

  2. 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 2024 (thousand head)

Livestock West Midlands England West Midlands as % of England
Cattle 638 4,752 13%
Dairy herd 153 1,046 15%
Beef herd 64 570 11%
Pigs 171 3,680 4.6%
Sheep 1,961 13,831 14%
Poultry 23,696 128,581 18%
Laying flock 4,503 23,344 19%
Table chickens 16,346 87,924 19%
Turkeys 326 3,123 10%

Source: Defra, June Survey

Notes:

  1. Livestock displayed are those more predominant in the area.

  2. Cattle numbers relate to commercial holdings only.

  3. Sheep numbers include lambs.

Figure 1.7: Distribution of farms by type in 2024 (percentage of farm holdings)

Region Cereals General cropping Horticulture Dairy Grazing livestock Mixed Pigs, Poultry & Other Total
West Midlands 13% 21% 3.6% 5.3% 44% 8.0% 5.0% 100%
England 16% 21% 3.3% 4.9% 42% 7.0% 5.6% 100%

Source: Defra, June Survey

Notes:

  1. Proportions may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

  2. “Other” refers to unclassified farm types.

Figure 1.8: Distribution of farms by type in 2024 (percentage of farmed area)

Region Cereals General cropping Horticulture Dairy Grazing livestock Mixed Pigs, Poultry & Other Total
West Midlands 26% 18% 2.6% 11% 27% 13% 3.0% 100%
England 33% 17% 1.9% 8.3% 28% 9.3% 2.0% 100%

Source: Defra, June Survey

Notes:

  1. Proportions may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

  2. “Other” refers to unclassified farm types.

Figure 1.9: Average Farm Business Income in 2022/23 and 2023/24 (£ per farm)

Farm type West Midlands England
All farm types
(2023/24)		 56,200
(±19,400)		 45,300
(±6,500)
Cereals
(2023/24)		 28,600
(±19,900)		 39,400
(±12,700)
Grazing livestock
(2023/24)		 20,100
(±14,200)		 19,500
(±4,000)
All farm types
(2022/23)		 89,500
(±19,800)		 97,100
(±9,000)
Cereals
(2022/23)		 102,200
(±41,300)		 146,400
(±22,900)
Grazing livestock
(2022/23)		 21,800
(±14,100)		 24,200
(±4,100)

Source: Defra, Farm Business Survey (regional breakdown not published elsewhere)

Notes:

  1. The Farm Business Survey year runs, on average, from March to February.

  2. Excludes farms with less than £21,000 of standard output.

  3. Farm types displayed are those more predominant in the area.

  4. Lines or values in parentheses indicate the 95% confidence intervals.

  5. In a given Farm Business Survey year, the sample size for some farm types can be relatively small. This means that individual farms can have a large influence on the results, and the results should be treated with caution. See the Farm Business Income by type of farm in England publication for more information.

  6. Values are rounded to the nearest £100.

  7. Data correct as at October 2025.

Table 1.4: Labour force in 2024 (number of people)

Measure West Midlands England West Midlands as % of England
Total labour 38,026 284,797 13%
Total labour per farm 2.8 2.8 [z]
Regular workers 7,108 65,556 11%
Regular workers per farm 0.5 0.6 [z]
Casual workers 6,241 34,309 18%
Casual workers per farm 0.5 0.3 [z]
% full time 44% 47% [z]
% part time 36% 37% [z]
% casual 16% 12% [z]

Source: Defra, June Survey

Notes:

  1. “[z]” means “not applicable”.

  2. Total labour includes farmers, partners, directors, spouses, salaried managers, regular and casual workers.

  3. Casual workers are those usually employed for less than 20 weeks of the year.

  4. Number of workers per farm calculations are averages based on the total number of farm holdings in the region.

  5. Part time workers are those employed for less than 39 hours a week.

  6. Percentage calculations for full and part time workers do not include salaried managers.

Section 2: Data notes

Figures are for commercial holdings as at June 2024 (unless stated otherwise). 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.

“Region” in this statistical notice refers to International Territorial Level 1 (ITL1) for England. The ITL1 regions for Greater London and the South East have been combined in this statistical notice due to the fact that London has such a small farming infrastructure.

This release contains the latest data available at the time of publishing. As a result, reference periods may vary. TIFF and FBI represent data from distinct time periods: TIFF covers January to December 2024, while FBI spans March 2023 to February 2024. As these metrics reflect different reporting periods, direct comparisons between the two should be avoided.

Section 3: Other geographical breakdowns

Defra June Survey data aggregated at other geographical classifications can be found in the Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June statistical data set on GOV.UK.

England regional data for aggregate agricultural accounts (including data at ITL2 and ITL3) can be found in the Total Income from Farming for the regions of England publication on GOV.UK.

Section 4: Contact details

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

  1. 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. ↩

  2. Output is the total value (at market prices) 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. ↩

  3. 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. ↩

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