Agricultural land use in England at 1 June 2026
Updated 24 September 2026
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2026
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/agricultural-land-use-in-england/agricultural-land-use-in-england-at-1-june-2026
This release contains the estimates of crop areas, land use and land ownership on commercial agricultural holdings in England on 1 June 2026 from the June Survey of Agriculture. Cereal and oilseed areas were published on 27 August. They are included here for completeness and remain unchanged.
All results tables are available in the datasets at
Agricultural land use in England at 1 June
Agricultural land ownership and tenure structure in England at 1 June
Key points
Agricultural land use
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The utilised agricultural area (UAA) is 8.8 million hectares in 2026 and accounts for 67.7% of the total area of England. This area has stayed relatively consistent over the past decade.
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The total croppable area accounts for just over half (55.7%) of UAA whilst permanent grassland accounts for an additional 39.5%.
Crops
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The total area of arable crops saw a 1.7% decrease to 3.3 million hectares between 2025 and 2026. This fall was largely due to the decrease in the cereals area which makes up almost three quarters (70.5%) of the overall arable crop area.
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The area of uncropped arable land increased by 3.9% to 566 thousand hectares. Of this area, 82 thousand hectares were left as bare fallow and the remaining 484 thousand hectares were used for environmental benefit.
- The area of wheat decreased by 1.8% to 1.5 million hectares in 2026. Favourable planting conditions across the country during autumn 2025 supported crop establishment.
- The total English barley area decreased by 9.2% between 2025 and 2026 to 673 thousand hectares. While the area of winter barley increased by 1.6% to 307 thousand hectares, the area of spring barley decreased by 16.7% to 366 thousand hectares, causing the overall decrease.
- The area of oilseed increased by 35.0% to 302 thousand hectares in 2026. Oilseed rape accounts for 91.5% of this area and rose by 35.5% to 276 thousand hectares in 2026.
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Potatoes decreased by 8.2%, falling to 82 thousand hectares in 2026.
- The area of horticultural crops covers 118 thousand hectares of land in 2026, an increase of 1.0% from 2025.
Land ownership
- The area of agricultural land owned in England increased by 1.0% to 6.2 million hectares in 2026. Land rented in for a year or more remained at 2.9 million hectares.
Section 1 Detailed results
1.1 Utilised agricultural area
The utilised agricultural area in England is 8.8 million hectares in 2026 and accounts for 67.7% of the total England area. This area includes all arable and horticultural crops, uncropped arable land including bare fallow and arable land used for environmental benefit, land used for outdoor pigs, temporary and permanent grassland and common rough grazing. UAA has stayed relatively consistent over recent years (Figure 1).
Figure 1 - Agricultural land use areas in England at 1 June
The total area of land on agricultural holdings used for solar panels was 9.4 thousand hectares in 2026, showing little change since 2025. Just under half of this area (4.4 thousand hectares) is also grazed or used for agriculture production and the remaining 5.0 thousand hectares is used for solar panels but not for agricultural production. These figures exclude rooftop solar installations and any large-scale solar parks where land is solely dedicated to energy generation and is not on a registered agricultural holding. The survey focuses on land used for farming, so most panels recorded are likely to form part of a wider farm business. Detailed breakdowns are available in the accompanying dataset.
1.2 Croppable area
The area of land available for cropping was little changed at 4.9 million hectares in 2026 and accounts for 55.7% of UAA. The croppable area consists of cereals, oilseeds, potatoes, other arable crops, horticultural crops, uncropped arable land and temporary grassland.
Figure 2 shows that in 2026, the proportion of croppable land used for each purpose remained similar to those in 2025; however, some categories did see changes. In particular, oilseed crops saw an increase in area. Oilseed rape accounts for 91.5% of the oilseed crops area and rose by 35.5% to 276 thousand hectares in 2026. This is the highest area of land used for oilseed rape since 2023. The area of cereal crops fell in 2026, with wheat, barley and oats all seeing decreases. The area of uncropped arable land increased by 3.9% to 566 thousand hectares. Of this area, 82 thousand hectares were left as bare fallow and the remaining 484 thousand hectares were used for environmental benefit. Arable land used for environmental benefit but not in production includes pollen and nectar flower mixes, winter bird food, buffer strips on arable land, flower rich margins and in field strips.
Figure 2 - Total croppable area in England at 1 June
| Year | Cereals | Oilseeds | Temporary grass | Other arable crops | Uncropped arable land (1) | Horticulture | Potatoes | Total croppable area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 54% | 7% | 16% | 13% | 5% | 3% | 2% | 100% |
| 2023 | 52% | 8% | 16% | 14% | 6% | 2% | 2% | 100% |
| 2024 | 49% | 6% | 17% | 13% | 12% | 2% | 2% | 100% |
| 2025 | 50% | 5% | 17% | 12% | 11% | 2% | 2% | 100% |
| 2026 | 48% | 6% | 18% | 12% | 11% | 2% | 2% | 100% |
(1) From 2024 uncropped arable land was collected as two separate categories: bare fallow and arable land used for environmental benefit but not in production. Areas for both are available in the agricultural land use dataset that accompanies this publication.
1.3 Arable crops
The total area of arable crops saw a 1.7% decrease between 2025 and 2026, falling to 3.3 million hectares. This was largely due to a decrease in the cereals area, which accounts for almost three quarters (70.5%) of arable crops.
The wheat area decreased by 1.8% to 1.5 million hectares in 2026. This follows the increase in area of 8.8% recorded in 2025. Favourable planting conditions across the country during autumn 2025 supported crop establishment. The barley area decreased by 9.2%, from 742 thousand hectares in 2025 to 673 thousand hectares in 2026. Winter barley rose by 1.6% to 307 thousand hectares. Spring barley area fell by 16.7% to 366 thousand hectares, the lowest level since 2014 (Figure 3). This may be due to a number of factors, including low recent yields, weaker demand for malting barley, and low prices.
The total area of oilseed rape increased by 35.5%, from 204 thousand hectares in 2025 to 276 thousand hectares in 2026. Whilst this is the first increase since 2023, the area remains below the 342 thousand hectares recorded in that year.
For more detailed information please go to the full Cereal and oilseed areas in England release.
Figure 3 - Area of wheat, barley and oilseed rape in England at 1 June (thousand hectares)
| year | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| wheat | 1,402 | 1,525 | 1,497 |
| barley | 849 | 742 | 673 |
| oilseed rape | 250 | 204 | 276 |
The total potato area decreased by 8.2% to 82 thousand hectares in 2026. This fall was driven by a 7.4% decrease in main crop potatoes, while the area of early crop potatoes decreased by 14.0%.
Other arable crops covered 601 thousand hectares in 2026, a decrease of 0.5% since 2025. Field beans saw the largest fall in area, decreasing by 13.2% to 119 thousand hectares. Maize accounts for 45.4% of the other arable crops area and increased by 12.9% to 272 thousand hectares in 2026.
1.4 Horticultural crops
Horticultural crops covered 118 thousand hectares in June 2026, increasing by 1.0% since 2025. This area is mostly used to grow fruit and vegetables, which covers 90.5% of the total horticultural area.
The total area of orchards and small fruit increased by 2.0% between 2025 and 2026 to 27 thousand hectares, with orchards covering 17.3 thousand hectares in 2026 and small fruit grown on the remaining 9.8 thousand hectares. Although there have been slight changes in some categories the proportions remain steady (Figure 4).
Figure 4 - Breakdown of small fruit areas in England at 1 June
| Year | Stawberries | Blackcurrants | Wine grapes | Raspberries | Other small fruit | Total small fruit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 22% | 23% | 32% | 12% | 11% | 100% |
| 2023 | 21% | 21% | 36% | 10% | 12% | 100% |
| 2024 | 19% | 22% | 37% | 9% | 12% | 100% |
| 2025 | 21% | 23% | 35% | 10% | 11% | 100% |
| 2026 | 22% | 24% | 35% | 10% | 10% | 100% |
The area used to grow vegetables and salad for human consumption increased by 0.9%, to 80 thousand hectares in 2026. This was largely due to a higher area of culinary plants for human consumption and an increase in the area of other vegetables and salad, which together cover 70.1% of the total area used to grow vegetable and salads for human consumption. Other peas and beans saw the largest proportional decrease, falling by 22.8%, but only accounts for 2.7% of the total vegetable and salad area, whilst culinary plants for human consumption saw the largest proportional increase, rising by 20.2% (Figure 5).
Figure 5 - Breakdown of vegetable and salad areas in England at 1 June
| Year | All other vegetables and salad (incl. carrots & onions) | Vining peas for processing | Culinary plants for human consumption (incl. herbs) | Other peas and beans | Total vegetables and salad |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 59% | 34% | 4% | 3% | 100% |
| 2023 | 59% | 34% | 4% | 3% | 100% |
| 2024 | 56% | 36% | 6% | 3% | 100% |
| 2025 | 63% | 29% | 5% | 4% | 100% |
| 2026 | 64% | 27% | 6% | 3% | 100% |
1.5 Land ownership
The total area of land owned in 2026 is 6.2 million hectares, an increase of 1.0% compared to 2025. Land rented in for a year or more has seen little change in recent years and remained at 2.9 million hectares in 2026. Farm Business Tenancies account for 44.8% of this area and saw an increase of 1.2%, rising to 1.3 million hectares in 2026. Land under Full Agricultural Tenancies has continued to decline, falling by 3.0% to 1.1 million hectares. Land covered by other agreements of a year or more increased by 6.8% in 2026 (Figure 6).
Figure 6 - Breakdown of area of land rented in for a year or more in England at 1 June (hectares)
| Rented land | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Agricultural Tenancy | 1,128,836 | 1,119,590 | 1,085,894 |
| Farm Business Tenancy | 1,253,753 | 1,271,014 | 1,286,727 |
| Other agreement | 493,492 | 468,019 | 499,680 |
Section 2 About these statistics
2.1 Survey methodology
Full details of the survey methodology are available on the Structure of the agricultural industry guidance web page.
The June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture has been run predominantly online since 2011, with an option for farmers to complete a paper form if they prefer. The survey is annual and samples around 30,000 holdings most years, with a full census run once a decade. The last census was run in 2021.
The June 2026 survey was sent to a sample of 38 thousand commercial holdings and responses were received from 19 thousand holdings, representing a response rate of 50%. Commercial holdings are defined as those with more than five hectares of agricultural land, one hectare of orchards, 0.5 hectares of vegetables or 0.1 hectares of protected crops, or more than 10 cows, 50 pigs, 20 sheep, 20 goats or 1,000 poultry.
Table 1 provides details of the sample survey population broken down by farm size. The size of a farm is determined by its Standard Labour Requirement (SLR) which is the typical number of full-time workers required on the holding based on its activity.
Table 1: June 2026 population size and sampling rate
| Stratum | Description | Sampling rate (%) | Population size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SLR < 0.5 | 20% | 55,846 |
| 2 | SLR >= 0.5 and < 1 | 30% | 13,542 |
| 3 | SLR >= 1 and < 2 | 41% | 12,001 |
| 4 | SLR >= 2 and < 3 | 51% | 5,566 |
| 5 | SLR >= 3 and < 5 | 62% | 5,428 |
| 6 | SLR >= 5 | 71% | 5,685 |
| 10 | SLR unknown | 100% | 6,917 |
| All | 35% | 104,985 |
For pig and poultry sectors, an additional data collection exercise was run to collect data from a central point for some of the largest companies. Cattle results are sourced from the Cattle Tracing System (CTS). The data include returns from all holdings with cattle so are not subject to survey error.
2.2 Data analysis
The data are subject to rigorous validation checks which identify inconsistencies within the data or large year-on-year changes. Any records that have not been cleaned by the results production stage are excluded from the analysis.
Population totals are estimated for each question on the survey to account for the non-sampled and non-responding holdings. This survey uses the technique known as ratio raising, in which the trend between the sample data and base data (previous year’s data) is calculated for each stratum. The calculated ratio is then applied to the previous year’s population data to give England level estimates. For holdings where we do not have base data (new holdings or long-term non-responders) the sample estimates are raised according to the inverse sampling fraction.
2.3 Confidence indicators
Confidence intervals and tick based indicators are shown alongside all of our estimated figures and can be found in the data tables within the dataset. These both help to show where there is more variability around results and highlight whether year-on-year changes are statistically significant or not. Whilst these are a useful indicator, they do not take into account any other sources of survey errors, such as non-response bias or administrative data errors.
2.4 Survey changes
Since the June 2024 Survey of Agriculture, we’ve made changes to how we collect some data, including simplifying the survey form and reducing the number of questions asked. Certain crops are now grouped together instead of being collected separately for example, stock feeding crops, oilseed rape and maize. Consequently, we no longer split oilseed rape into winter and spring varieties. Instead, all figures are now shown under one category, oilseed rape.
2.5 Data notes
- All figures relate to commercial holdings.
- All percentage changes are based on unrounded figures.
- Totals may not necessarily agree with the sum of their components due to rounding.
- Proportional breakdown rounding may be adjusted to add up to 100%.
2.6 Data uses and users
Results from the June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture have a wide range of uses and users with requests for data being made on a frequent basis. A document providing information of specific uses and users can be found on our guidance and notes.
2.7 Other survey results and publications
The next releases from the June Survey will be UK results and are expected to be in December. The definitive publication date will be announced on the research and statistics webpage on gov.uk.
More detailed results from the June Survey can be found on our Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June web page. This includes various time series of crop areas and livestock numbers dating back as early as 1866 and detailed geographical breakdowns of the results.
2.8 Feedback
We welcome feedback and any thoughts to improve the publication further. Please send any feedback to: farming-statistics@defra.gov.uk.
Section 3 - What you need to know about this release
3.1 Contact details
Responsible statistician: Sarah Thompson
Team: Farming Statistics - Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Email: farming-statistics@defra.gov.uk
Tel: 0300 060 0170
3.2 Accredited official statistics
Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. An explanation can be found on the Office for Statistics Regulation website.
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.
These accredited official statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in 2014. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and should be labelled accredited official statistics .
You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards (see contact details). Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.
Since the latest review by the Office for Statistics Regulation, we have continued to comply with the Code of Practice for Statistics, and have made the following improvements:
- Reviewed and amended the validation checks carried out on response data including validation against new administrative data sources to better assure ourselves of the quality of the statistics.
- Enhanced trustworthiness by removing pre-release access.