National statistics

Agricultural Land Use in United Kingdom at 1 June 2023

Updated 14 December 2023

This release contains the estimates of land use and crop areas on agricultural holdings in the UK. The notice is compiled using data available at the time of publication.

Results are sourced from the June Surveys run in each country.

The results tables are available at Agricultural Land Use in the United Kingdom. This dataset contains detailed breakdowns for all land use and crop areas, as well as a summary table showing breakdowns by country.

This release now includes revisions to 2022 because of changes to Scotland and Northern Ireland data. Scotland did not run the June Agricultural Census in 2022 due to improvement work around their census. Previous estimates used administrative data, for example from the Single Application Form (SAF) in place of June Census results. 2022 results for Scotland now included in this release are based on administrative data available in 2022 and/or imputation from 2021 or 2023 to account for those holdings not captured previously. Northern Ireland delayed publication of 2022 June survey results until early 2023. Previously carried forward data from 2021 is replaced by final 2022 survey results.

Full details and a table to show the scale of revisions can be found in Section 2.4

Key points

Agricultural land use

• The utilised agricultural area (UAA) is 17.0 million hectares in 2023 and accounts for 70% of the total area of the UK.
• The total croppable area is just over 6.0 million hectares in 2023 and accounts for just over a third (36%) of UAA.

Crops

• The total area of arable crops saw a 1.1% decrease between 2022 and 2023, falling to just under 4.4 million hectares.

• Cereals account for the majority (71%) of the total arable crop area, covering almost 3.1 million hectares in 2023.
• The area of wheat decreased by 5.1% to 1.7 million hectares, whilst the area of barley increased by 1.9% to 1.1 million hectares.
• The area of oilseed crops increased by 4.7% to 418 thousand hectares in 2023. Oilseed rape accounts for 94% of this area and rose by 7.2% to 391 thousand hectares in 2023.
• Potatoes decreased by 9.9%, falling to 115 thousand hectares in 2023.

• The remaining arable crops covered 750 thousand hectares. Field beans and maize together account for over half of this area. Field beans rose by 1.1% and maize increased by 8.5% between 2022 and 2023.

• In 2023 the total area of horticultural crops decreased by 5.2% to 145 thousand hectares. Vegetables and salad for human consumption make up the majority (69%) of this area and decreased by 6.6% to 100 thousand hectares in 2023.

Section 1 – Detailed results

1.1 Utilised agricultural area

The utilised agricultural area is made up of all arable and horticultural crops, uncropped arable land, land used for outdoor pigs, temporary and permanent grassland and common rough grazing.

The total utilised agricultural area in the UK decreased by 2.3% to just over 17.0 million hectares in 2023 and accounts for 70% of the total UK land area. Figure 1 shows that the total utilised agricultural area has remained between 17 and 18 million hectares since 2003.

Figure 1: Total utilised agricultural area in the United Kingdom at 1 June

1.2 Croppable area

In 2023, the croppable area remained broadly unchanged between 2022 and 2023 at 6.1 million hectares. This represents over a third of the UK utilised agricultural area. The croppable area consists of cereals, oilseed, potatoes, other arable crops, horticultural crops, uncropped arable land and temporary grass.

Figure 2 shows that overall, the proportion of croppable land used for each purpose remained similar between 2022 and 2023, however some categories did see value changes. In particular, the area of oilseeds increased by 4.7% from 399 thousand hectares in 2022 to 418 thousand hectares in 2023. Uncropped arable land, other arable crops and temporary grassland also saw increases in 2023, rising by 14%, 4.4% and 1.6% respectively. Potatoes and horticultural crops saw the largest proportional decreases in area, however together they still only account for 4% of the croppable area and had little impact on the overall total.

Figure 2: Total croppable area in the United Kingdom at 1 June

Year	Cereals	Temporary grass	Oilseeds	Other arable crops	Uncropped arable land	Horticulture	Potatoes	Total croppable area
2021	53%	20%	6%	12%	4%	3%	2%	100%
2022	52%	20%	7%	12%	4%	3%	2%	100%
2023	51%	21%	7%	12%	5%	2%	2%	100%

1.3 Arable crops

The total area of arable crops decreased by 1.1% between 2022 and 2023 and stands at just under 4.4 million hectares. Cereal crops account for the largest proportion (71%) of this area.

The total area of cereal crops in the UK decreased by 2.7% between 2022 and 2023 and stands at almost 3.1 million hectares.

Figure 3 shows the area of the three most popular crops grown in the UK; wheat, barley and oilseed rape. Plantings have continued to follow a more typical pattern following the disruption due to weather in recent years however, in 2023 wheat plantings have possibly reduced in favour of farmers planting barley and oilseed.

The total area of oilseed rape increased by 7.2%, from 365 thousand hectares in 2022 to 391 thousand hectares in 2023. The increase was mainly due to an 8.1% rise in the area of winter sown oilseed rape which accounts for 99% of the total oilseed rape area.

Figure 3: Area of wheat, barley and oilseed rape in the United Kingdom at 1 June

The total potato area saw a fall of 9.9% to 115 thousand hectares in 2023. This fall in area continues the downward trend seen in recent years and is the lowest area recorded in the last 40 years.

Other arable crops covered 750 thousand hectares in 2023, an increase of 4.4% when compared to 2022. There are area changes across most of the individual crops within this group, such as field beans, which rose by 1.1% to 214 thousand hectares and accounts for almost a third of other arable crops.

Maize increased by 8.5% to 240 thousand hectares. Peas for harvesting dry, and other stockfeeding crops also increased between 2022 and 2023, rising by 6.5% and 9.4% respectively. Conversely root crops, brassicas and fodder beet for stock feeding decreased by 1.3% and all other arable crops also decreased by 10%.

1.4 Horticultural crops

Horticultural crops cover 145 thousand hectares in 2023, falling by 5.2% since 2022. This area is mostly used to grow fruit and vegetables, which covered 91% of the total horticultural area.

Figure 4 shows the breakdown of the total horticultural area in 2023. The area of vegetables and salad for human consumption saw a decrease of 6.6% between 2022 and 2023 but still accounts for 69% of the total horticultural area. Orchards and small fruit together account for a further 22% of the horticultural area with hardy nursery stock and glasshouse accounting for the remaining 9%.

Figure 4: Total horticultural area in the United Kingdom at 1 June

Year	Vegetables and salad	Orchards	Hardy nursery stock	Small fruit	Glasshouse	Total
2021	70%	14%	8%	6%	2%	100%
2022	70%	15%	7%	7%	2%	100%
2023	69%	15%	7%	7%	2%	100%

Section 2 – About these statistics

2.1 Data uses and users

• Data on crop areas (both arable and horticultural) help us monitor the long-term trends in cropping. Amongst many other things, this helps us assess the impacts of the abolition of formal set-aside.
• The data will enable us to assess how land areas vary across the UK regions and in different geographic areas (such as the Uplands, National Parks, and River Basin Districts).
• Any changes in the agricultural sector also affect people. For many, it is their livelihood and a way of life.

Results from the England June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture also have a wide range of uses and users with requests for data being made daily. A document providing information of specific uses and users can be found on our guidance and notes.

2.2 Other survey results and publications

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.

The results from the June Survey of Agriculture 2024 in England are expected to be published as follows:

• Cereal, oilseed and uncropped arable land areas and Livestock populations in August 2024.
• Agricultural land use and Agricultural workforce data expected to be available in September 2024.

United Kingdom results are expected to be published in December 2024.

Provisional cereal and oilseed harvest statistics for England are expected to be published in October 2024, with United Kingdom estimates expected in December 2024.

The definitive publication dates will be announced on the research and statistics webpage on gov.uk.

2.3 Methodology: June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture

Data on crop areas and livestock populations are collected in the June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture carried out by each of the UK agriculture departments. The methodology adopted by each country is below.

England

England results are from the June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture in 2023. 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 2023 survey was sent to a sample of 30,000 commercial holdings and responses were received from 17,000 holdings, representing a response rate of almost 56%. 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). i.e. the typical number of full-time workers required on the holding. In the SLR system, each livestock type and land-use has a theoretical amount of labour required each year. This value is multiplied by the land area or livestock numbers and then summed to give the SLR for the holding. 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.

Table 1: June 2023 population size and sampling rate

Stratum	Description	Sampling rate (%)	Population size
1	SLR < 0.5	11%	51813
2	SLR >= 0.5 and < 1	20%	14898
3	SLR >= 1 and < 2	36%	13374
4	SLR >= 2 and < 3	52%	7130
5	SLR >= 3 and < 5	70%	7019
6	SLR >= 5	83%	7423
10	SLR unknown	27%	4790
	All	28%	106447

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. More information on the use of this administrative data can be found on the survey notes and guidance report

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.

Cereal and oilseed areas and cattle, sheep and pig populations from the England 2023 June Survey were published on 31 August 2023 and Land use and agricultural workforce data were published on 28 September 2023. All can be viewed on our Statistics about the structure of the agricultural industry web page

More details on the June Survey methodology can be found on the Structure of the agricultural industry: survey notes and guidance web page

Scotland

Final results for Scotland were published by the Scottish Government on 31 October 2023 at: www.gov.scot/collections/june-scottish-agricultural-census

The June Agricultural Census is conducted annually by the Scottish Government’s Rural and Environmental Science Analytical Services division (RESAS). Data are requested from all holdings who submitted a Single Application Form (SAF) in the previous year, together with some other large businesses that would not be eligible for support payments. A sample of smaller holdings which didn’t submit a SAF or who didn’t return a form for the previous census were also sent a census form.

Data for the June census is collected from three sources:

• Land data were extracted from the Single Application Form (SAF) database for around 22,800 holdings that are claiming under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS).
• All holdings within our sample were sent a census form covering land, livestock and labour. Holdings completing a SAF were not expected to complete section 3 (land area) of the census form.
• All cattle data (including data on cattle breeds) were collected from the Cattle Tracing Scheme administrative source. Farmers are required by law to register any births, deaths and movements of their cattle to the British Cattle Movement service who maintain an online database. More information can be found online here. By using this data source we effectively have 100 per cent coverage, even for those smaller holdings that were not selected for inclusion in the census.

RESAS categorises all agricultural holdings in Scotland as either a “Main” holding or a “Min” holding. A holding is a “Main” if it meets certain thresholds such as a certain area of land or a certain amount of animals. All “Main” holdings in Scotland are included in the census. The smaller holdings are only surveyed once every four years to reduce the burden on the smaller farms. Holdings which have not received a form in the past four years are included in the sample.

There are 44,698 known agricultural holdings in Scotland and within the census 33,215 were selected to complete a census form (the majority of these online). Of those who received a request to complete the census 18,269 provided a return, resulting in a 55 per cent response rate.

Table 2 below shows the response rates for different types of farms. The first column shows the percentage of holdings that responded. Due to the fact that some larger farms account for a larger proportion of overall activity or land area in Scotland, the second column shows what percentage of land area, livestock or workforce each category represents. In most cases this is higher than the percentage of holdings, indicating that there is better coverage in the census of larger holdings.

Table 2 Percentage cover of holdings, land area, livestock and workforce for different farm features

	percentage cover of holdings	percentage cover of land, livestock or workforce
Total cereals (hectares)	87%	97%
Total crops, set aside & fallow (hectares)	71%	96%
Total sole right agricultural land (hectares)	59%	97%
Total cattle (number)	100%	100%
Total sheep (number)	48%	67%
Total pigs (number)	27%	63%
Total occupiers and spouses (number)	51%	52%
Total regular & seasonal staff (number)	61%	60%
Total agricultural workforce (number)	52%	56%

Online Data Collection in Scotland

Since 2017 respondents have been able to complete their census online, through the Rural Payments and Services website. This year, all those in the sample who had completed the June Census online the previous year or had an account with the Rural Payments and Services online portal were sent an email notification to complete the survey. All other census recipients received paper forms. In total, 11,792 SAF holdings returned online data, 84 per cent of SAF census returns or 51 per cent of the SAF sample. In addition, we received 1,284 online non-SAF returns. For future surveys RESAS will continue to improve the online response rate.

The June Agricultural Census for Scotland did not take place in 2022 due to improvement work around the census. The 2022 estimates presented here are based on administrative data available in 2022 and/or imputation from 2021 or 2023 Census. For more information on revisions to 2022 data for Scotland go to section 2.4

For further details contact Scottish Government: RESAS Statistics (Agriculture) Email: agric.stats@gov.scot.

Wales

The Welsh population currently stands at around 25,000 active holdings. In 2023 a total of 10,200 survey forms were sent out. Final results were based on a response rate of 49%. Final results for Wales were published by the Welsh Government on 23 November 2023 at: https://gov.wales/survey-agriculture-and-horticulture

For further details contact Agricultural & Rural Affairs Statistics, Welsh Government, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ (telephone: Cardiff 03000 255049). E-mail: stats.agric@gov.wales

Northern Ireland

The 2020 Northern Ireland Agricultural and Horticultural Survey introduced key methodological changes both in how the data was collected and processed.

A new farm census register was created which had an increased number of farms.

Due to COVID-19, a letter inviting farms to take part was issued to all farms and data collected online only for the first time. Some questions were simplified or removed to streamline the online collection experience and reduce the burden on farms.

In 2023, the Northern Ireland Agricultural and Horticultural Survey was conducted as a full census using online data collection. Data for the pig and poultry sections are also complete censuses extracted from the NI Annual Inventory of Pigs and Update of NI Bird Register respectively. Data for the cattle section was extracted from the APHIS cattle tracing database as in previous years.

Telephone support was provided for farmers who could not complete online and a focussed telephone follow-up of non-responding farms was carried out.

A statistical estimation and imputation methodology was used to create statistics for those who did not provide a return.

A total of 28,440 letters were issued and a final farm register of 26,131 created. Results are based on 15,704 completed questionnaires.

Final results will be published on 14th December 2023 by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) for Northern Ireland and can be viewed at: www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/agricultural-census-northern-ireland

2.4 Revisions

In 2022 estimates were used to calculate a UK total. Northern Ireland delayed their publication of 2022 June survey results until early 2023 and therefore 2021 data was carried forward. Scotland used administrative data from the Single Application form (SAF) in place of June Survey results for 2022 while their Agricultural Statistic Transformation program was running. Final data has now been received from Northern Ireland and Scotland and as a result 2022 data have been revised accordingly. The scale of revisions can be seen in table 3 and shows the largest revisions were for permanent grassland and other land. There is very little change to the total crop area. Further details can be found in the methodology section for both Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Table 3: June 2022 UK Agricultural Land Use scale of revision

Land use	2022	2022 revised	% change
Total area on agricultural holdings	16,912,418	17,562,309	3.8%
Total crops	4,549,794	4,570,988	0.5%
Total permanent grassland	9,597,422	10,136,046	5.6%
Other land on agricultural holdings	1,275,121	1,342,013	5.2%

2.5 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.