Chapter 10: Agricultural support payments
Published 10 July 2025
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/agriculture-in-the-united-kingdom-2024/chapter-10-agricultural-support-payments
Summary
Key results for 2024 compared to 2023:
- Total Payments and support to the Agricultural Industry increased by 3.4% to £4,426 million.
- Payments associated with the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and the replacement De-linked Payment Scheme (DPS) decreased by 17% to £1,585 million.
- Payments associated with Agri-Environment Schemes increased by 51% to £1,121 million.
The figures published as part of this chapter have been calculated using the payments made to agricultural producers that are reported to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as part of the annual Agricultural Policy Monitoring and Evaluation report.
Introduction
This chapter shows the estimated value of agricultural support payments in the United Kingdom, which include direct payments and capital grants awarded to producers as well as general services support to the agricultural industry, for the calendar periods January to December.
Agricultural support will vary as older schemes close and new schemes are introduced; therefore, care should be taken when comparing between UK countries and years.
In 2021, agricultural support payments began to change following the UK’s departure from the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). From 2021 onwards all BPS payments were funded by the UK exchequer.
Legacy schemes that were co-funded from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) until the end of 2023 have now ceased. Some of these schemes remain in place and are now wholly funded by the UK exchequer.
As the UK moves away from the BPS, England along with the devolved governments are implementing new schemes which are designed to support and incentivise sustainable farming practices and environmental outcomes.
Agricultural Support Payments
Figures 10.1 and 10.2 below show the payments made to agricultural producers that are reported to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as part of the annual Agricultural Policy Monitoring and Evaluation report.
Note that these figures will not align with total payments recorded in the UK agricultural accounts (see Chapter 4: Accounts) because the accounts item does not include payments for capital grants, as well as other more minor differences in scope.
Figure 10.1: Agricultural support payments by nation in 2023 and 2024 (£ million)
Enquiries: farmaccounts@defra.gov.uk
| Nation | 2023 (£m) | 2024 (£m) |
|---|---|---|
| Total for United Kingdom | 4,282 | 4,426 |
| England | 2,240 | 2,556 |
| Northern Ireland | 405 | 381 |
| Scotland | 604 | 630 |
| Wales | 407 | 245 |
| Breakdown Unavailable by Nation | 626 | 613 |
Notes:
- “Breakdown Unavailable by Nation” refers to spend that is only available at a more aggregated level, i.e. England & Wales, GB or UK.
Download the full Agricultural support payments dataset
In 2024, the overall UK agricultural support payments increased by £144.1 million (+3.4%).
From 2023 to 2024 the nation breakdown, where available, reflects an increase in payments of £316 million (+14%) for England. Payments for Scotland increased by 4.4%, Northern Ireland decreased by 5.9% and Wales decreased by 40%. The decrease for Wales in 2024 reflects a reduction in payments due to spend in 2023 including payments under the EU Rural Development Plan 2014-2020 for two scheme years, paid January to June 2023, and in December 2023. Note that there is an additional £613 million of payments for which the data is only available at an aggregate level and can not be broken down into individual nations.
Figure 10.2: UK Agricultural support payments by payment category in 2023 and 2024 (£ million)
Enquiries: farmaccounts@defra.gov.uk
| Payment by Category | 2023 (£m) | 2024 (£m) |
|---|---|---|
| Agri-environment Schemes | 743 | 1,121 |
| Basic and Delinked Payment Schemes | 1,902 | 1,585 |
| General Services Support | 671 | 724 |
| Other Schemes | 576 | 658 |
| Red Diesel | 390 | 338 |
| Total for United Kingom | 4,282 | 4,426 |
Notes:
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“Agri-environment schemes” in 2023 and 2024 include but are not limited to the Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CS), Environmental Stewardship Scheme (ES) the Sustainable Farming Incentive schemes (SFI) and Landscape Recovery schemes (LR).
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“Other Schemes” include but are not limited to Animal Disease Compensation payments, Peatland and Forestry restoration schemes as well as the Farming Investment Fund.
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For England the Delinked Payment Scheme (DPS) replaced the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) in 2024. Delinked payments are not linked to land area and will decrease each year as progressive reductions are applied.
Download the full Agricultural support payments dataset
From 2023 to 2024 the UK has seen an overall decrease in BPS and Delinked payments of £316.3 million (-17%) and an increase in Agri-environment scheme payments of £378 million (+51%). Other scheme payments have increased by £81.7 million (+14%) and payments associated with General Services Support have also increased by £52.6 million (+7.8%).
Take-up of agri-environment schemes
Agri-environment schemes provide an incentive to farmers to adopt land management and farm practices that are beneficial to the environment. The uptake of Agri-environment schemes is shown by the total number of Agri-environment agreements in place and the total area of land under these agreements. Due to the differing requirements of schemes, care should be taken when making comparisons. Fluctuations in areas and numbers occur as old schemes expire, and new schemes begin.
Figure 10.3 Area under agri-environment schemes by country for 2022 to 2024 (thousand hectares)
Enquiries:FCPstatsandreporting@defra.gov.uk
| Nation | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 3,565 | 4,487 | 5,571 |
| Wales | 554 | 481 | 0 |
| Scotland | 870 | 842 | 884 |
| Northern Ireland | 63 | 62 | 59 |
Notes:
-
These numbers are based on the total area per land parcel for each option. Options may not cover the total area of the land parcel.
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For England (pre-2023), Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the total area covered by agri-environment schemes are presented as a sum of the individual scheme areas. This may include a small amount of double-counting as different schemes can cover the same land areas. The England area pre-2024 was also based on the sum of all whole land parcels under agreement. From 2024 onwards the English total is based on a new methodology. This removes any overlap, so the total area for England will be smaller than the sum of the individual scheme areas. It also uses the action area rather than whole parcel area, which gives a better estimate of the area under active management. For details of this methodology, see the Area under agri-environment schemes in England at 31st December 2024 publication.
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For Scotland, the area under agri-environment schemes is the sum of all action areas within each scheme. This may include some double-counting of land areas, as different actions can be done on the same land.
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Agri-environment schemes included in the data shown are Countryside Stewardship, Environmental Stewardship, SFI23 and SFI Expanded offer.
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In 2024 there were no active agri-environment schemes operating in Wales.
Download the full Agricultural support payments dataset
Figure 10.4 Number of agri-environment agreements by country for 2022 to 2024
Enquiries: FCPstatsandreporting@defra.gov.uk
| Nation | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 34,500 | 50,900 | 69,700 |
| Northern Ireland | 5,000 | 4,800 | 3,500 |
| Scotland | 3,400 | 3,400 | 3,300 |
| Wales | 2,800 | 2,800 | 0 |
Notes:
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Agri-environment schemes included in the data shown are Countryside Stewardship, Environmental Stewardship, SFI23 and SFI Expanded offer.
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All remaining Glastir schemes ended in 2023, with new agri-environment schemes not planned until 2026.
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In 2024 there were no active agri-environment schemes operating in Wales.
Download the full Agricultural support payments dataset
Revisions
Figures are provisional and subject to revision as a result of more data becoming available over time. Revisions are intended to enhance the precision of these estimates. Occasionally revisions are necessary to refine the methodology or correct historical errors. Such revisions will always be noted.
Some key presentational changes have been made since the last publication to align with international reporting for the OECD Agricultural Policy Monitoring and Evaluation report:
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Data used to produce Figures 10.1 and 10.2 has been compiled using updated and revised figures declared as part of the OECD declarations for 2023 and 2024.
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The breakdown of payments has also been changed to ensure it remains relevant for the users of this data given the change in agricultural payment structures and mechanisms.
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Access to the historical datasets for AUK Chapter 10 can be found on the National Archive.