Agricultural workforce 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-workforce-in-england-at-1-june/agricultural-workforce-in-england-at-1-june-2026
This release contains the estimates of the agricultural workforce on commercial agricultural holdings in England on 1 June 2026 from the June Survey of Agriculture.
All results tables are available in the accompanying dataset which is available at Agricultural workforce in England at 1 June (dataset)
Key points
Agricultural workforce
- The total number of people working on agricultural holdings in England was 281 thousand on 1 June 2026. This is an increase of 0.6% since 2025 and the first increase since 2022.
- Farmers, business partners, directors and spouses continue to account for over half (60.1%) of the total workforce and increased by 0.7% to 169 thousand people in 2026, due to an increase in full time farmers.
- Salaried managers have consistently remained at 12 thousand people over the past decade.
- Total regular and casual workers remained at 100 thousand in 2026. Within this total, regular workers increased by 2.8% to 67 thousand people and casual workers saw a fall of 3.9% to 34 thousand people.
Sex and age group
- 18.5% of principal farmers and holders were female. This proportion varies little over all age groups, except in the youngest age group (under 35 years), where female representation is slightly higher (25.1%).
- 36.1% of principal farmers and holders were aged 65 years and older. In contrast, only 18.5% were under 45 years old.
Section 1 Detailed results
1.1 Agricultural workforce
The total number of people working in agriculture in England was 281 thousand on 1 June 2026, showing an increase of 0.6% since 1 June 2025. This is the first increase seen since 2022.
In 2026 farmers, business partners, directors and spouses accounted for almost two thirds (60.1%) of the workforce at 169 thousand people, and saw an increase of 0.7% since 2025. Salaried managers make up a much smaller proportion of the total (4.2%) and decreased by 0.5% to 12 thousand people in 2026. Regular employees and casual workers make up the remainder of the total workforce, accounting for 23.7% and 12.0% respectively (Figure 1).
Figure 1 - Total agricultural workforce in England at 1 June
| Year | Farmers, partners, directors and spouses | Salaried managers | Regular workers | Casual workers | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 179,769 | 12,210 | 67,427 | 41,740 | 301,146 |
| 2023 | 178,696 | 12,095 | 64,583 | 37,027 | 292,401 |
| 2024 | 173,120 | 11,812 | 65,556 | 34,309 | 284,797 |
| 2025 | 167,756 | 11,944 | 64,840 | 34,953 | 279,493 |
| 2026 | 168,935 | 11,890 | 66,673 | 33,591 | 281,089 |
The total number of regular workers increased by 2.8% to 67 thousand. There were 42 thousand full time regular workers, an increase of 2.6% between 2025 and 2026. Part time regular workers increased by 3.2% to 24 thousand people. Of the regular workers, 63.5% worked full time and 36.5% worked part time, this proportional split is little changed year on year (Figure 2).
Figure 2 - Proportions of full time and part time regular workers in England at 1 June
| Year | Full time | Part time | Total regular workers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 64% | 36% | 100% |
| 2023 | 64% | 36% | 100% |
| 2024 | 62% | 38% | 100% |
| 2025 | 64% | 36% | 100% |
| 2026 | 64% | 36% | 100% |
Between 1 June 2025 and 1 June 2026, the number of casual workers fell by 3.9%, decreasing from 35 thousand to 34 thousand.
A decrease was seen in the number of male casual workers, which fell by 6.6%, whilst the number of female casual workers remained little changed, increasing only slightly by 1.3%. The proportional split between males and females has remained stable in recent years with males consistently accounting for almost two thirds (63.8%) of casual workers (Figure 3).
Figure 3 - Male and female casual workers in England at 1 June
| Year | Male | Female | Casual workers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 26,780 | 14,960 | 41,740 |
| 2023 | 23,994 | 13,033 | 37,027 |
| 2024 | 22,404 | 11,905 | 34,309 |
| 2025 | 22,935 | 12,018 | 34,953 |
| 2026 | 21,420 | 12,171 | 33,591 |
1.2 Sex and age group
To help us gain an overview of diversity within the farming population of England we asked principal farmers and holders about their sex and age group. The questions were optional and while the majority of farmers answered them, some left the questions blank. The figures presented here relate only to those who provided an answer.
The categories are based on the Office for National Statistics guidance for the collection and classification of sex and age group data in the UK. These harmonised standards allow consistency and comparability of statistical outputs across the country.
Sex
In 2026, 81.5% of principal farmers and holders were male, while only 18.5% were female. This proportion was similar across all age groups, except for the youngest age group (under 35 years), where a higher proportion of farmers were female (25.1%) (Figure 4).
Figure 4 - Proportion of farmers in each age group, by sex in England at 1 June
| Age band | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 35 | 75% | 25% | 100% |
| 35 to 44 years | 81% | 19% | 100% |
| 45 to 54 years | 81% | 19% | 100% |
| 55 to 64 years | 82% | 18% | 100% |
| 65 and over | 83% | 17% | 100% |
Age Group
In 2026, the highest proportion of farmers (36.1%) were aged 65 years and over, 29.0% were aged 55 to 64 years and 16.4% were aged 45 to 54 years. In contrast only 11.7% of farmers were aged 35 to 44 years and 6.8% were aged under 35 years (Figure 5). The age distribution for male and female farmers shows a similar pattern.
Figure 5 - Age distribution of farmers in England at 1 June
| Age band | Proportion |
|---|---|
| Under 35 | 7% |
| 35 to 44 years | 12% |
| 45 to 54 years | 16% |
| 55 to 64 years | 29% |
| 65 and over | 36% |
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 ran 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% | 10,4985 |
For pig and poultry sectors, an additional data collection exercise ran 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 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.
2.5 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.
2.6 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.
2.7 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.