National statistics

Chapter 2: Structure of industry

Updated 20 February 2024

Summary

Key results for 2022 compared to 2021:

• The Utilised Agricultural Area (UAA) increased by 1.2% and was 17 million hectares, covering 71% of land in the UK.

• The total croppable area saw little change and was 6.1 million hectares.

• The cereal crops area decreased by 1.2% and was 3.2 million hectares.

• The area of oilseed crops planted increased by 13% and was 399 thousand hectares.

• The total number of cattle and calves remained almost unchanged and was 9.6 million animals. The beef herd decreased by 1.5% and was 1.5 million animals. The dairy herd decreased by 0.4% and was 1.8 million animals.

• The total number of pigs decreased by 1.9% and was 5.2 million animals. The total number of female pigs in the breeding herd decreased by 14% and was 343 thousand animals.

• The total number of sheep and lamb increased by 0.7% and was 33 million animals.

• The total number of poultry decreased by 3.4% and was 183 million birds.

• The total labour force on commercial holdings increased by 0.6% and was 470 thousand people.

Introduction

The tables and charts in this chapter show the size and structure of the agricultural industry in the United Kingdom at 1 June each year. They provide information on land use and livestock numbers, on the distribution of these between holdings and on the labour force.

Data in this chapter are sourced primarily from the June Surveys of Agriculture carried out in the four UK countries each year. The exception to this are most of the land use data in Scotland (sourced from Single Application Form (SAF) subsidy data). Also, cattle data are sourced from the Cattle Tracing System (CTS) in England, Wales and Scotland and from the equivalent Animal and Public Health Administration (APHIS) system in Northern Ireland.

This chapter has been revised in January 2024 because of changes to Scotland and Northern Ireland data. Data for England and Wales have not changed. 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 chapter are based on administrative data available in 2022 and/or imputation from 2021 or 2023 census 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 now replaced by final 2022 survey results.

England data relate to commercial holdings only. Commercial holdings are defined as those with significant levels of farming activity, i.e. holdings 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.

For more information on the June Survey and for more detailed results, please see the pages for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Land use and crop areas

At June 2022 the Utilised Agricultural Area (UAA) was 17 million hectares, covering 71% of the total UK land area. UAA is made up of arable and horticultural crops, uncropped arable land, common rough grazing, temporary and permanent grassland and land used for outdoor pigs. It does not include woodland and other non-agricultural land.

The total croppable area saw little change between 2021 and 2022, however some categories within this total had greater changes than others (see Table 2.1).

Cereal crops accounted for the majority (69%) of the cropped area. Wheat and barley are the predominant cereal crops. In 2022, the area of wheat increased by 1.3% and was 1.8 million hectares. The area of barley decreased by 2.9% and was 1.1 million hectares.

The area of oilseed rape increased by 19% in 2022 and was 365 thousand hectares.

Potatoes decreased by 7.0% to 127 thousand hectares in 2022.

The remaining arable crops covered 718 thousand hectares. Peas for harvesting dry, field beans and maize together account for 68% of this area. The area of peas and field beans increased by 8.2% whilst the area of maize decreased by 2.4%.

Figures 2.1a to 2.1c provide further detailed breakdowns of crop areas.

Table 2.1 Agricultural land use at June of each year (thousand hectares)

Enquiries: Helen Mason on +44 (0) 3000 600 170 Email: farming-statistics@defra.gov.uk

Category	2020	2021	2022
UAA (Utilised Agricultural Area)	17,269	17,227	17,426
UAA as a proportion of total UK area	71%	71%	71%
Total agricultural land	18,628	18,631	18,757
Common rough grazing	1,194	1,194	1,194
Total area on agricultural holdings	17,434	17,436	17,562
Total croppable area	6,024	6,056	6,084
Total crops	4,481	4,574	4,571
Arable crops	4,314	4,413	4,418
Cereals	3,038	3,211	3,173
Oilseeds	415	352	399
Potatoes	142	137	127
Other arable crops	719	713	718
Horticultural crops	166	161	153
Uncropped arable land	362	265	274
Temporary grass under 5 years old	1,181	1,217	1,240
Total permanent grassland	10,042	9,965	10,136
Grass over 5 years old	6,118	6,071	6,158
Sole right rough grazing	3,924	3,894	3,978
Other land on agricultural holdings	1,368	1,416	1,342
Woodland	1,065	1,076	996
Land used for outdoor pigs	10	12	12
All other non-agricultural land	293	328	334

Notes for table 2.1:

1. UAA includes all arable and horticultural crops, uncropped arable land, common rough grazing, temporary and permanent grassland and land used for outdoor pigs (it excludes woodland and other non-agricultural land).

2. Uncropped arable land includes all arable land not in production, including land managed in Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC12), wild bird cover and game cover.

3. Sole right rough grazing includes mountains, hills, heathland or moorland.

Source: UK Agriculture departments June Survey/Census of Agriculture

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Figures 2.1a to 2.1c - Crop areas at June of each year

Enquiries: Helen Mason on +44 (0) 3000 600 170 Email: farming-statistics@defra.gov.uk

Figure 2.1a Cereal crop areas (thousand hectares)

Year	Wheat	Barley	Oats	Rye, mixed corn and triticale	Total
2020	1,387	1,388	210	53	3,038
2021	1,790	1,150	200	71	3,211
2022	1,813	1,116	176	69	3,173

Figure 2.1b Other arable crop areas (thousand hectares)

Year	Oilseed rape (including linseed)	Potatoes	Sugar beet (not for stockfeeding)	Peas for harvesting dry and field beans	Maize	Remaining arable crops	Total
2020	412	142	111	233	228	149	1,276
2021	348	137	95	249	227	146	1,202
2022	393	127	91	269	222	143	1,245

Figure 2.1c Horticultural crop areas (thousand hectares)

Year	Vegetables grown outdoors	Orchard fruit	Soft fruit & wine grapes	Outdoor plants and flowers	Glasshouse crops	Total
2020	118	23	11	11	3	166
2021	112	23	10	13	3	161
2022	107	22	10	11	3	153

Notes for figures 2.1a to 2.1c:

1. Vegetables grown outdoors excludes potatoes, peas for harvesting dry and mushrooms.

2. Orchard fruit includes non-commercial orchards.

3. Soft fruit is strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, wine grapes and all other soft fruit

Source: June Surveys/Census of Agriculture/SAF land data

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Livestock numbers

In 2022, the total number of cattle and calves was 9.6 million, which was almost unchanged from 2021. The beef herd decreased by 1.5% and was 1.5 million animals and the dairy herd decreased by 0.4% and was 1.8 million animals.

The number of lambs under one year old was 16 million in 2022, which increased by 0.3% from 2021. The female breeding flock increased by 1.3% at 16 million animals. As a result, the total UK sheep and lamb population was 33 million which increased by 0.7% compared to 2021.

The total number of pigs was 5.2 million which decreased by 1.9% from 2021. The number of pigs in the female breeding herd decreased by 14% and was 343 thousand in 2022.

The total number of poultry in the UK decreased by 3.4% and was 183 million birds in 2022. Table fowl account for 66% of the total and decreased by 3.9% at 122 million birds in 2022. The breeding flock decreased by 2.0% between 2021 and 2022 and sits at 12 million birds.

Figures 2.2a to 2.2d provide breakdowns of livestock populations.

Figures 2.2a to 2.2d - Livestock numbers at June of each year

Enquiries: Helen Mason on +44 (0) 3000 600 170 Email: farming-statistics@defra.gov.uk

Figure 2.2a Female cattle breeding herd (thousand head)

Year	Cows in the beef herd	Cows in the dairy herd	Total breeding herd
2020	1,509	1,850	3,359
2021	1,485	1,850	3,335
2022	1,463	1,842	3,305

Figure 2.2b Sheep numbers (thousand head)

Year	Female breeding flock	Other sheep and lambs	Total
2020	15,370	17,328	32,697
2021	15,624	17,333	32,957
2022	15,826	17,348	33,174

Figure 2.2c Female pig breeding herd (thousand head)

Year	Sows in pig	Gilts in pig	Other sows for breeding	Total breeding herd
2020	295	57	50	402
2021	282	54	63	398
2022	247	42	54	343

Figure 2.2d Poultry numbers (thousand birds)

Year	Laying flock (including pullets)	Breeding flock	Table fowl	Turkeys, ducks, geese, all other poultry	Total
2020	39,758	13,785	118,388	10,025	181,957
2021	40,568	12,271	126,693	10,487	190,019
2022	40,442	12,021	121,730	9,295	183,488

Notes for figures 2.2a to 2.2d:

1. Dairy cows are defined as female dairy cows over 2 years old with offspring.

2. Beef cows are defined as female beef cows over 2 years old with offspring.

Source: June Surveys/Census of Agriculture; Cattle Tracing System/APHIS

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Numbers and sizes of holdings and enterprises

Tables 2.2a through to 2.2d compare the number of holdings and area by farm size in 2017 and 2022. In 2022, the total number of holdings was 217 thousand which increased by 0.4% compared to 2017. Within the five-year period the total area on holdings has decreased by 0.4%.

Between 2017 and 2022 the average area of all holdings decreased by 0.8% and the average croppable area of holdings increased by 0.5%.

Figure 2.3a shows the proportion of holdings and total area by size bands. This shows that around a fifth of holdings have 100 hectares or more, but these holdings account for three quarters of the total area. Most holdings in 2017 and 2022 had fewer than 20 hectares and accounted for just 4% of the total area. A similar picture can be drawn for the croppable area which is shown in figure 2.3c

Tables 2.2a to 2.2d and 2.3a to 2.3b show number of holdings and total areas for the UK and by country, respectively.

Numbers and sizes of holdings and enterprises at June of each year

Enquiries: Helen Mason on +44 (0) 3000 600 170 Email: farming-statistics@defra.gov.uk

Table 2.2a Numbers of holdings by total area size group (thousand)

Year	Under 20 hectares	20 to under 50 hectares	50 to under 100 hectares	100 hectares and over	Total
2017	103	41	32	41	217
2022	103	42	31	41	217

Table 2.2b Total area on holdings by size group (thousand hectares)

Year	Under 20 hectares	20 to under 50 hectares	50 to under 100 hectares	100 hectares and over	Total area
2017	682	1,359	2,262	13,334	17,637
2022	724	1,380	2,234	13,225	17,562

Figure 2.3a Proportion of holdings and total area by size group

Category	under 20 hectares	20 to under 50 hectares	50 to under 100 hectares	100 hectares and over	Total
2017 - Proportion of holdings	47%	19%	15%	19%	100%
2022 - Proportion of holdings	48%	19%	14%	19%	100%
2017 - Proportion of total area	4%	8%	13%	75%	100%
2022 - Proportion of total area	4%	8%	13%	75%	100%

Figure 2.3b Average total and croppable areas on holdings (hectares)

Year	Average total area	Average total area on holdings with >=20 hectares	Average croppable area
2017	81	149	63
2022	81	147	64

Table 2.2c Numbers of holdings with croppable areas by size group (thousand)

Year	Croppable area 0.1 to under 20 hectares	Croppable area 20 to under 50 hectares	Croppable area 50 to under 100 hectares	Croppable area 100 hectares and over	Total
2017	46	19	14	17	97
2022	47	17	13	17	95

Table 2.2d Croppable area on holdings by size group (thousand hectares)

Year	Croppable area 0.1 to under 20 hectares	Croppable area 20 to under 50 hectares	Croppable area 50 to under 100 hectares	Croppable area 100 hectares and over	Total croppable area
2017	303	630	1,005	4,193	6,131
2022	286	567	950	4,282	6,084

Figure 2.3c Proportion of holdings and croppable area by size group

Category	0.1 to under 20 hectares	20 to under 50 hectares	50 to under 100 hectares	100 hectares and over	Total
2017 - Proportion of holdings with croppable area	47%	20%	15%	18%	100%
2022 - Proportion of holdings with croppable area	50%	18%	14%	18%	100%
2017 - Proportion of croppable area	5%	10%	17%	68%	100%
2022 - Proportion of croppable area	5%	9%	16%	70%	100%

Notes for tables 2.2a to 2.2d:

1. Croppable area is defined as land under crops, temporary grass under five years old and uncropped arable land.

Source: June Surveys/Census of Agriculture/SAF land data Scotland.

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Tables 2.3a to 2.3b - Numbers of holdings and areas by size group and country at June of each year

Enquiries: Helen Mason on +44 (0) 3000 600 170 Email: farming-statistics@defra.gov.uk

Table 2.3a Numbers of holdings by total area size group and country (thousand)

Country	Under 20 hectares	20 to under 50 hectares	50 to under 100 hectares	100 hectares and over	Total
England	41	21	18	25	104
Wales	21	6	5	5	37
Scotland	31	6	5	9	50
Northern Ireland	11	8	4	2	26

Table 2.3b Total area on holdings by size group and country (thousand hectares)

Country	Under 20 hectares	20 to under 50 hectares	50 to under 100 hectares	100 hectares and over	Total area
England	336	709	1,256	6,797	9,098
Wales	120	214	363	1,069	1,766
Scotland	155	188	331	4,980	5,655
Northern Ireland	113	268	284	379	1,043

Figure 2.4 Average total area on holdings by country (hectares)

Country	Average total area	Average total area on holdings with >=20 hectares
England	87	137
Wales	48	99
Scotland	113	288
Northern Ireland	40	64
United Kingdom	81	147

Notes for tables 2.3a to 2.3b:

Source: June Surveys/Census of Agriculture/SAF land data Scotland.

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Agriculture Workforce

The agricultural workforce in 2022 increased by 0.6% and was 470 thousand people. Farmers, business partners, directors and spouses accounted for 64% of the total labour force.

Figure 2.5 Agricultural labour force on commercial holdings at June of each year (thousand)

Enquiries: Helen Mason on +44 (0) 3000 600 170 Email: farming-statistics@defra.gov.uk

Year	Farmers, business partners, directors and spouses (full time)	Farmers, business partners, directors and spouses (part time)	Regular employees, salaried managers and casual workers	Total labour force
2020	147	153	171	472
2021	147	153	167	467
2022	147	155	168	470

Notes:

1. Part-time is defined as working less than 39 hours per week (England & Wales), 38 hours per week (Scotland) and 30 hours per week (N. Ireland).

2. Regular employees include salaried managers as not all UK countries collect separate estimates.

3. For labour force numbers in earlier years see Structure of the agricultural industry.

Source: June Surveys/Census of Agriculture

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Data on the proportion of holders in each age group (previously table 2.6 in last year’s AUK) was not collected by all United Kingdom countries in 2021 and 2022. Therefore, this data table has been removed from this chapter. Historical data, up to and including 2016, are still available and can be found in table 2.6 of the dataset for this chapter