Accredited official statistics

Chapter 1: Key events

Published 10 July 2025

Government and policy

On the 4 January 2024, Defra announced a 10% average increase to payment rates and around 50 new actions for Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS), as well as shorter three-year agreements to better support tenant farmers.

On the 15 January, the £7.8 million Farming Innovation Programme (FIP) competition launched to fund industry-led industrial research and experimental development projects that will address major on-farm or immediate post farmgate challenges or opportunities. Defra awarded £7.4 million towards the costs of four successful projects which began their work in September 2024. Defra’s funding will be complimented by £2.1 million invested by the organisations participating in the research.

On the 25 January, applications opened for the second round of the Improving Farm Productivity grant, which funded technology and renewable energy generation. As of 16 May 2025, 162 applications have been approved totalling £16.3 million, with over £3.5 million now paid to farmers. The window for full applications closes at the end of July 2025.

On the 5 February, Defra updated that it had funded the 3000th Farming in Protected Landscape (FiPL) project after 2.5 years. The FiPL programme provides funding for farmers and land managers to work with National Parks and National Landscape bodies to deliver projects that achieve climate, nature, people and place outcomes.

On the 4 March, the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) opened, offering grants to boost productivity of farms, as well as improve slurry management and animal health and welfare. This offered between £1,000 to £50,000 for productivity and slurry items, and £1,000 to £25,000 for animal health and welfare items. For the FETF 2024 scheme, as of 1 May 2025, the RPA has paid 4,950 grants worth £51.2 million across the three themes with some claims still to process.

On the 9 April, Defra announced that the RPA would offer eligible farmers in England who suffered uninsurable damage to their land during Storm Henk the Farming Recovery Fund. This provided grants to help restore agricultural land flooded between 2 and 12 January 2024.

Also announced on the 9 April was the opening of the Water Restoration Fund, to provide £11 million of grant funding to projects that restore and enhance the water environment using funds raised from water company environmental fines and penalties generated from April 2022 to October 2023. Following a rigorous assessment process, successful applicants have been notified, and a full list of participating projects will be published in due course.

On the 10 April, Defra published their response to the Dartmoor Review which gave a better understanding of how to support farmers to deliver on agricultural production, environmental improvements, and natural heritage in Dartmoor. Defra addressed each of the review’s 42 recommendations including improving relationships with Dartmoor commoners and creating a Land Use Management Group.

On the 23 April, Defra published their response to the Rock Review, reporting significant progress in implementing recommendations from the 2022 Rock Review on tenant farming, with 64 out of 75 commitments completed or underway at the time.

On the 14 May, following England’s second wettest 6-month period on record, the government introduced temporary adjustments to environmental farming schemes to help affected farmers. Farmers disrupted by bad weather could get extensions on deadlines or postpone required activities until later in the year.

On the 20 May, Defra announced changes to the Smaller Abattoir Fund (SAF) including raising the intervention rate from 40% to 50% and increasing the maximum grant amount from £60,000 to £75,000 to provide greater support to abattoir businesses. These changes also applied retrospectively. In total, the SAF made £4 million available to help support smaller abattoirs across England improve productivity, enhance animal health and welfare, add value to primary products, and encourage innovation and investment in new technologies.

On the 21 May, the Government announced new changes to planning regulations to make it easier for farmers to strengthen their businesses without needing full planning applications, following a consultation by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

On the 23 May, the Government introduced the Management of Hedgerows (England) Regulations 2024. These rules set legal standards for hedgerow management. They provided a foundation of good management practices that everyone must follow, supporting those who participate in government schemes or receive grants.

On the 29 May, a £15 million Nutrient Management competition was launched as part of the Farming Innovation Programme to fund innovative solutions for better nutrient management in farming. The competition aimed to help farmers increase productivity while protecting the environment through efficient nutrient use. Defra awarded £14.5 million towards the costs of 26 successful projects which began their work in January 2025. Defra funding will be complimented by almost £4 million invested by the organisations participating in the research.

On the 19 June, new support was launched to tackle endemic diseases for keepers of beef cattle, pigs and sheep, as part of the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway. The grant funding for vet services has widened support provided for disease testing and advice to improve welfare and productivity.

On the 25 July, the Government released a founding statement for GB Energy - an £8.3 billion publicly-owned energy company that will invest in clean power projects across the UK. For farmers, it offers income opportunities through the Local Power Plan, supporting renewable energy projects on agricultural land and community ownership schemes.

On 31 July, Defra opened applications for an independent chair for the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group (DLUMG).

On 5 August, Defra provided an update on our agri-environment schemes and grants, including the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). The update explained how Defra would optimise the schemes so they would produce the right outcomes for farmers, food security and nature recovery in a fair and orderly way.

On 19 August, Defra announced that the first endorsed action offered through the Sustainable Farming Incentive was available. This action aimed to maintain and improve the biodiversity of priority habitat grassland.

On 21 August, the Government announced they had achieved protected status under the Geographical Indication (GI) system for Scottish Whisky in Brazil, giving UK distillers better access to South America’s largest economy.

On 28 August, Defra published a summary of the recent changes to the actions and scheme information for the expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). Most of the updates were made following feedback from farmers, stakeholder organisations, and other experts.

On 25 September, Defra announced that funding for the Tree Health Pilot (THP) scheme was being extended until the launch of the full nationwide Tree Health grant scheme to ensure there would be no gap in the provision of grants.

On 28 September, Defra secured a deal which meant that UK beetroot farmers could sell to US markets for the first time. This new trade deal, worth around £150,000 per year, will help American consumers access beetroot year-round.

On 7 October, the Government secured access markets for UK poultry to South Africa after an eight-year ban. This could bring £160 million to UK farmers over five years.

On 21 October, Defra confirmed the Seasonal Worker visa route for 2025. A total of 43,000 visas for horticulture and 2,000 visas for poultry would be available for the following year, providing certainty and stability to farmers and growers in the UK’s horticulture and poultry sectors.

On 21 October, Defra announced measures on egg and poultry labelling to help farmers deal with the impact of future avian influenza outbreaks. The changes meant that free-range eggs could continue to be labelled as such throughout mandatory housing measures.

On 29 October, the RPA launched a public consultation seeking views on their proposed approach to implementing hedgerow regulations. These regulations were introduced to protect hedgerows on agricultural land and the essential habitats and wildlife corridors they provide.

On 29 October, the Government announced that Phil Stocker had been appointed as Independent Chair of the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group, as it moves forward with recommendations to create a long-term plan for land use which preserves the cultural heritage of the area, recovers nature and boosts food production.

Following the Spending Review, on 30 October, Defra confirmed they had secured a budget of £2.4 billion. This budget would help deliver the highest funding levels ever for Environmental Land Management Schemes by 2025/26.

Additionally, Defra announced that they had secured £208 million to upgrade Weybridge biosecurity facilities (2024-26) to protect farmers from potential disease outbreaks that threaten the farming industry, food security and human health.

On 6 November, Defra announced that it would recruit for the role of a commissioner for the tenant farming sector in England. The role would address one of the recommendations from the Rock Review, to improve relationships and collaboration between tenant farmers, landowners and advisers.

On 21 November, Secretary of State (SoS) Steve Reed attended the Country, Land and Business Association’s (CLA) Conference where he confirmed that the Budget committed £5 billion to farming over the next two years, the biggest budget for sustainable food production in the country’s history.

On 21 November, the Secretary of State confirmed that Defra was providing £60 million to help farmers affected by the unprecedented flooding seen earlier in the year and the end of last year. It was also announced that £2.4 billion was being provided to rebuild crumbling flood defences, currently in their worst condition on record.

On 21 November, SoS announced the government’s intention to produce a long-term roadmap, Farming 2050: Growing England’s Future. This will outline how the farming system will boost food security, deliver on our environmental objectives, and drive innovation, unlocking delivery across government missions and priorities.

On 21 November, SoS also announced that the Government would advance work on supply chain fairness by using the fair dealing powers in the Agriculture Act 2020. This aimed to boost food security in the long term and protect producers who are vulnerable to unfair trading practices.

On 22 November, Defra published new guidance for Integrated Pest Management, a whole-farm approach to prevent, monitor, and control pests, weeds and diseases. The guidance could help manage pesticide resistance and minimise the risks of environmental harm.

On 25 November, Defra announced details of how they would be supporting farmers with expiring Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier and High Level Stewardship agreements with extensions and mirror agreements, allowing continued environmental support while providing flexibility to transition into new schemes.

On 26 November, Crown Commercial Service launched “Buying Better Food and Drink,” helping British farmers sell to schools, hospitals and councils. The agreement made it easier for local and environmentally friendly farmers to win government contracts, creating a simpler path to sell directly to public buyers.

On 27 November, the government confirmed that farmers affected by 2023/24 flooding had received payments totalling £57.5 million from the Farming Recovery Fund to support recovery from last winter’s storms and exceptional wet weather.

On 27 November, Defra announced that because of unprecedented demand, some of their capital grant offers for farmers would temporarily close to new applications. Defra confirmed that they would be simplifying and rationalising grant funding and would provide an update in early 2025.

On 11 December, Defra published the new scheme guidance ahead of the improved Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier scheme opening for applications, giving farmers information on how to prepare for the scheme and detailing the improvements made.

On 19 December, Defra published the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group’s terms of reference, giving information on the purpose, objectives and governance of the group following the appointment of the Independent Chair, Phil Stocker, in October.

Key contextual factors

Global events

Ukraine war

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had a significant impact on input prices including energy and fertilisers. These costs have reduced steadily since they peaked in 2022 but are still higher than they were before the war.

Labour shortages

Labour availability is a challenge shared by most farmers. The lack of skilled labour combined with increased minimum wages are ensuring labour comes at an increased cost.

Inflation

Inflation continued to decline throughout 2024, leading to a reduction in the Bank of England’s base rates. However, it remained high compared to pre-2021 levels, reducing profits and eroding the real-term value of direct support (BPS and agri-environmental payments). High inflation also created upward pressure on wages to mitigate its impact on workers.

Food price inflation, which began rising in mid-2021, continued to decline throughout 2024 and ended the year at 2%.

Exchange rates

The relationship between the pound and euro has a key bearing on the fortunes of UK farming, as most UK exports of agricultural commodities are made to the Eurozone. A weaker pound increases the competitiveness of UK exports but increases the price of imports, including inputs such as fertilisers and pesticides. The pound substantially weakened against the euro in 2016 and has remained relatively stable since. In 2024, the pound was stable through the spring and then strengthened through the summer months. The pound briefly weakened in August but then recovered and continued to strengthen through the autumn and winter.

Weather

Overall, 2024 was a warm and unsettled year for the UK. Despite several periods of exceptional rainfall, overall rainfall was around average.

Winter

Winter 2024 was milder and wetter than average, with significant variability. The season was dominated by mild, unsettled weather, including several named storms. It was the UK’s fifth-warmest winter on record, and England and Wales’s second warmest winter. Rainfall was above average across all regions, with particularly wet weather in Southern England and record-breaking rain in East Anglia. There were multiple named storms in January, followed by a milder, wetter, but less stormy February.

Spring

Spring 2024 was warm, unsettled, very wet, and dull. It was UK’s warmest spring on record, with fluctuating temperatures and an exceptionally warm May. Spring was very wet, with more than double or triple the average rainfall in parts of the UK across the season. Stormy weather brought heavy rain and strong winds, particularly in Scotland, Wales, and western England. Extreme downpours in May caused flooding in northern England. Parts of Scotland experienced their wettest spring on record, with areas like Midlothian, Fife, and Edinburgh among the hardest hit.

Summer

Summer 2024 was the coolest since 2015, with below-average temperatures in June and July and only slightly above average in August. Warm periods were brief, and rainfall was near average overall, but there were significant regional disparities: Western Scotland received almost double the August average, while Southern England was drier. At the end of August, Storm Lilian brought strong winds and heavy rain to northern England, Wales, and parts of Scotland. Sunshine levels were largely typical throughout the season.

Autumn

Autumn 2024 saw largely average temperatures, but with some cooler spells and heavy snow in November. The weather was generally unsettled, with several storms bringing heavy rain and wind. Overall, England experienced above, and Scotland experienced below-average rainfall. Sunshine was varied across the country, with Scotland and Northern Ireland enjoying the most sunshine and Wales and southern England experiencing the least.

December 2024 was mild, wet, and unsettled, with heavy rain and gales in Wales and southwest England. Scotland was notably wet, Northern Ireland was drier than usual, and sunshine hours were about half the UK average.

Animal Health

In 2024, Defra made further developments to the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway which mean farmers can access more support to improve the health, welfare and profitability of their animals.

The Animal Health and Welfare Review, introduced in 2023, offers farmers who keep cattle, sheep, and pigs funding for an annual visit from a vet of their choice. Vets carry out diagnostic testing and provide bespoke advice on management to improve the health, welfare, and biosecurity of animals, including the responsible use of medicines such as antibiotics, vaccines etc.

In June 2024, further funding was made available to tackle endemic diseases with the introduction of the ‘Get funding to improve animal health and welfare’ service. In addition to the Animal Health and Welfare Review, it also introduced a second type of funded vet visit; the endemic disease follow-up.

This added support will go towards more in-depth diagnostic testing for Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) in pigs and identifying cattle on farms persistently infected with Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD). In the case of sheep the farmer will, in consultation with their vet, choose from a range of health improvement packages. These will target the syndrome that is most prevalent and provides the most benefit to treat in each flock.

Before farmers can access advice and testing for priority disease through the service, they must apply for and accept an agreement. Animal Health and Welfare Review uptake estimates can be found here: uptake estimates.

Alongside the funded vet visit offer, in 2024 eligible farmers were able to access grants designed to improve animal health and welfare through the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund, and large infrastructure grants for laying hen and pullet keepers through the Farming Transformation Fund.

Avian influenza

In the 2024 calendar year, there were 146 incidents of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in Great Britain and no confirmed cases of HPAI in Northern Ireland. There were 17 poultry outbreaks; 16 were H5N1 and one was H5N5; all were in England.

There were 129 Great British wild bird cases – 100 were H5N5, of which 28 were in Scotland and one in Wales. A further 27 cases were H5N1, all in England, and the remaining two were H5Nx, also in England. Further details are available at: Bird flu (avian influenza): cases in wild birds - GOV.UK.

Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB)

England

The percentage of herds Officially TB Free in England was 95.8% at the end of 2024, a slight increase on 2023. There has been an upward trend since Q1 2018, when 93.6% of herds were TB free. Government strategy is driving for TB eradication by 2038. See the full set of the 2024 Accredited Official Statistics for TB in cattle in GB.

The Bovine TB Partnership in England met 6 times in 2024. On 30 August 2024, the government announced the start of work on a comprehensive new bovine TB strategy for England. In late 2024, a steering group was formed out of the existing Bovine TB Partnership for England to oversee the work. In December 2024, Professor Sir Charles Godfray was commissioned to reconvene a panel of experts to consider whether there was any substantive new evidence following the publication of their previous review.

A third phase of field trials for a new cattle TB vaccine and companion skin test (DIVA - Detect Infected among Vaccinated Animals) commences in 2025. If trials are successful, we will move closer to being able to vaccinate cattle against bTB.

In England, more than 4,000 badgers were vaccinated against TB in 2024, the highest ever vaccinated in a single year and a more than 30% increase compared to 2023. To increase the rollout of badger vaccination, work began with a range of organisations on large-scale vaccination delivery by APHA field teams, and an industry delivered vaccination approach in East Sussex.

In 2024, Natural England (NE) re-authorised culling operations to resume in 19 intensive control areas and one new licence was authorised in the Low Risk Area. NE also licensed nine new supplementary badger control areas, bringing the total number of authorised areas of this type to 26. All remaining intensive and supplementary badger culling licences will end by January 2026.

Wales

In the 12 months to December 2024, the number of new TB incidents across Wales decreased to 596, down from 620 in the previous year, representing a 3.9% decrease. In the High TB Area West, new incidents dropped from 296 to 272, an 8.1% decrease. The decrease in the High TB Area West is a reversal of the increase seen last year.

There has also been a reduction in the number of new incidents in the High TB Area East, with the number decreasing from 169 to 162, representing a 4.1% decrease. However, there have been increases in new incidents in both the Intermediate TB Area North and the Intermediate TB Area Mid. New incidents in the Intermediate TB Area North increased from 70 to 78, representing an 11.4% increase, and new incidents in the Intermediate TB Area Mid increased from 51 to 58, a 13.7% increase.

In the Low TB Area, epidemiological investigations in Anglesey indicated that infection from the Denbigh/Conwy area had spread into the Low TB Area and contributed to the rising disease levels, with incidents increasing from four in 2020, 12 in 2021, and rising to 19 for 2023. In the fourth quarter of 2023, no new incidents were recorded on Anglesey, however 13 new incidents were recorded in 2024.

A new five-year Delivery Plan was introduced in March 2023 under the guidance of the Chief Veterinary Officer. This plan incorporates the 2021-2022 consultation on a refreshed TB Eradication Programme, recommendations from the Task and Finish Group on Farmer Engagement, and the Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee’s report on bovine TB. The Delivery Plan prioritises a partnership approach between government, farmers, and vets, and emphasises the importance of working together to meet our shared goal of TB eradication in Wales by 2041.

The Delivery Plan set out a number of legislative changes which were brought in on 1 February 2024. Key changes included:

• Re-introduction of Pre-Movement Testing of cattle or other bovine animals located in the Low TB Area (LTBA) of Wales.
• Introduction of Post-Movement Testing for all cattle and other bovine animals which move into herds in the Intermediate TB Areas (ITBAs) of Wales from the High TB Area of Wales, the High Risk Area of England, and from Northern Ireland.
• Publication of information on TB free herds on ibTB.

Another commitment in the Delivery Plan was to introduce new governance arrangements for the Programme with the creation of two publicly appointed groups: a TB Eradication Programme Board and Technical Advisory Group (TAG).

The TAG was established in April 2024, and Professor Glyn Hewinson, Sêr Cymru Chair of the TB Centre of Excellence, was appointed to lead this work. The TAG met for the first time on 17 April and considered, as its first priority, the policy for on-farm slaughter of TB reactors. Advice received from the TAG was accepted in full by the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs. Changes were swiftly brought in, allowing the delayed removal of heavily pregnant cattle in the last 60 days of pregnancy and animals that have given birth in the previous 7 days, subject to biosecurity conditions to protect other cattle in the herd. Further flexibility was also permitted, in certain circumstances, to delay removal if within a few days of the end of a medicine withdrawal period, on a case-by-case basis.

The membership of the TB Eradication Programme Board was announced in September 2024, with their first meeting held in December 2024. The Programme Board is chaired by Sharon Hammond, a beef, sheep and poultry farmer, and the membership includes mainly farmers, farming union representatives and vets. Both the Programme Board and TAG will work closely together to provide strategic advice on TB eradication to the Welsh Government.

The Pembrokeshire Project, which began in 2023, continued in 2024 in Pembrokeshire to further explore partnership working. The project aims to establish a voluntary collaborative approach between a farmer and their vet to reduce residual disease, and encourage farmers to bring in voluntary measures to disease management beyond statutory controls.

Scotland

Scotland continues to have a low and stable incidence of bovine tuberculosis, in line with the requirements for Officially TB Free status. In 2024, there were 10 confirmed cases of TB in Scotland.

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, herd incidence for 2024 was 10.70%, with animal incidence standing at 1.149%. Both herd and animal incidence rose over the past year (from 10.05% and 0.988% respectively in 2023). Disease rates remain at their highest in Northern Ireland since the aftermath of the Foot and Mouth Disease, which disrupted the bTB programme in the early 2000s.

This poor disease picture, along with an increase in cattle compensation prices, has seen the annual cost of delivering the Northern Ireland bTB programme rise to around £60million.

In March 2024, the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs asked the Northern Ireland Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) to undertake a review of the TB programme and policy. This review, which took account of actions within the March 2022 Bovine TB Eradication Strategy for Northern Ireland, saw extensive engagement with stakeholders, epidemiologists and colleagues in other UK and Ireland jurisdictions.

The CVO Review was published in November 2024, with the Minister immediately agreeing with the recommendation to establish a new stakeholder body - the TB Partnership Steering Group (TBPSG). Its first task was to assist with the development of a new delivery plan for bTB in Northern Ireland. At the time of writing (April 2025) the Department has just published the TBPSG’s Bovine TB in Northern Ireland: Blueprint for Eradication.

Note: More information on Bovine Tuberculosis can be found at the TB hub.