Accredited official statistics

Chapter 1: Key Events

Updated 22 January 2026

Applies to England

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← Preface

Overview

The period covered by these results (1 March 2024 to 28 February 2025) saw Defra launch a range of schemes and grants including the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund, the Water Restoration Fund and, as part of the Farming Innovation Programme, the Nutrient Management competition. Also, as part of the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, grant funding for disease testing and advice was widened to improve welfare and productivity. Farming Recovery Fund support was announced for farmers affected by the exceptionally wet weather and adjustments to environmental farming schemes were also made to help affected farmers. The Basic Payment Scheme was replaced by delinked payments.

Outbreaks of Avian Influenza again impacted poultry farms and the wet weather and flooding in the earlier part of the survey period caused problems for both arable and livestock farms across England.

In terms of global events, input costs and output prices continued to stabilise after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

More details of key events that can affect farm incomes can be found in Agriculture in the UK Chapter 1: Key Events.

Weather

The autumn of 2023 started with an exceptional warm spell in the first half of September. The late-season heatwave saw temperatures reach 30°C on seven consecutive days, a September record. While the second half of the month was more unsettled, the first part of October saw a return to warmer and sunnier weather which helped early drilling of winter crops although rain hindered later cultivations.

Overall, winter 2023/24 was milder but wetter than average (Figure 1.1) with some strong winds. For England and Wales combined it was the second warmest winter on record just behind 2016. Rainfall was heavy across all regions but particularly southern England. On arable farms late drilled crops struggled in the wet conditions and in some cases even failed. In terms of sunshine, conditions were slightly duller than normal for the time of year.

Figure 1.1: Annual rainfall (mm) in England, 2015 to 2024

Source: Met Office

Figure note: The legend is presented in the same order as the bars.

Spring 2024 was generally warm but very wet (Figure 1.1). March saw heavy rain in southern and central England, during April in northern England and across the country in May. The heavy rain impacted lambing, particularly for hill farmers many of whom experienced higher than usual lamb mortality rates. May saw some farmers bringing dairy cows back inside and onto winter rations due to the wet weather. The saturated ground and wet conditions also made spring drilling difficult and restricted spraying and fertiliser applications. Most of the country experienced below average sunshine hours (Figure 1.2) although after a cold start to March, temperatures rose with above average periods across the season.

Figure 1.2: Annual total duration (hours) of bright sunshine in England, 2015 to 2024

Source: Met Office

Figure note: The legend is presented in the same order as the bars.

June 2024 got summer off to a cool start with temperatures around 2°C below average, although there was some warmer weather towards the end of the month. July followed a similar pattern and while August saw the highest temperature of the year (34.8°C recorded at Cambridge), generally the summer was slightly cooler than average (Figure 1.3). While rainfall was around usual levels, there was substantial regional variation. Harvest conditions were challenging across the country with some farmers leaving combining until late September. Due to the conditions, many farmers also experienced lower yields and faced increased drying costs as a result of high crop moisture content.

Figure 1.3: Average temperatures (°C) in England, 2015 to 2024

Source: Met Office

Figure notes:

1. For each season, solid lines represent annual averages and dashed lines represent long term averages for the period 1991 to 2020.

2. The legend is presented in the same order as the lines.

Autumn 2024 tended to be rather unsettled and variable. Conditions in early autumn saw moderate rainfall and mild temperatures. Vineyards generally had a poor harvest while some livestock farmers headed towards winter with reduced forage stocks as a result of the previous wet spring.

Chapter 2: Key Results and Overview Across All Farms in England →