National statistics

Chapter 1: Key Events

Updated 21 December 2023

Applies to England

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

Overview

The period covered by these results (1 March 2022 to 28 February 2023) saw the launch of the Sustainable Farming Incentive and a range of other Government schemes and grants including the Lump Sum Exit Scheme in April 2022 and the Farming Investment Fund adding value grants in June 2022. Free business advice was also announced for any farmer or land manager receiving Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments under the Future Farming Resilience Fund which opened in October 2022.

The survey period covered the second year of the progressive reduction of the Basic Payment, which saw a 20% reduction on the first £30,000 of the payment and larger incremental deductions on the bigger payment bands (see Annex D of The Path to Sustainable Farming: An Agricultural Transition Plan 2021 to 2024). In May 2022, Defra also changed the way BPS payments were made, with eligible farmers receiving half their payment in July and the rest in December.

In terms of global events, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the end of February 2022 and the resulting trade disruption and uncertainties led to exceptional price volatility for key agricultural commodities such as cereals and oilseeds, and for inputs such as fertilisers and fuel. The period also saw the continuing after effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic with supply chain issues and worker shortages still having an impact.

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

Weather

Temperatures in autumn 2021 were very slightly above average and despite unsettled conditions in October, when there were some spells of heavy rain, the season overall was drier than average. The extended warm and relatively dry autumn aided silage and maize harvesting and, for some livestock farmers, winter housing was delayed which conserved forage stocks. The generally good ground conditions also helped the establishment of winter crops.

The winter of 2021/22 was rather unsettled with some contrasting periods of mild then cooler weather. Despite this, conditions generally allowed the timely planting of spring crops and the application of inputs on autumn crops. While January saw frequent frosts and snowfall in some areas, it was also provisionally the sunniest January in a series from 1919. Both December and February were slightly milder than average. In terms of rainfall (Figure 1.1), after a fairly dry January, many areas had considerably more rain than usual in February (with double the month’s average in some places) although like January, hours of sunshine were higher than average.

Figure 1.1: Annual rainfall (mm) in England, 2013 to 2022

Source: Met Office

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

On the whole, spring 2022 was warmer than average and relatively settled. Rainfall was generally below average, particularly in March and April which were also sunnier than normal. There was good weather for spring lambing, with indoor lambers able to turn ewes and lambs out quickly. Conditions were also favourable for spring operations on forage crops.

While both June and July began on the cool side, the summer of 2022 saw hot spells in each month with a new UK record temperature of 40.3°C set at Coningsby in Lincolnshire on the 19th of July (Figure 1.2). The long dry summer resulted in an exceptional harvest for many arable farms and, for some, it was the earliest in living memory. Although there were some localised heavy downpours, rainfall was below average in most areas. This, combined with the heat, resulted in a lack of grass meaning some dairy farmers needed to buffer feed cows to maintain milk yields. On horticulture farms, conditions produced a largely good soft and top fruit harvest, but the hop crop suffered badly with yields decimated by the drought and heat.

Figure 1.2: Mean temperatures (°C) in England, 2013 to 2022

Source: Met Office

Figure notes:

1. For each season, solid lines represent annual averages and dashed lines represent long term averages for the period 1981 to 2010

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

Figure 1.3: Annual total duration (hours) of bright sunshine in England, 2013 to 2022

Source: Met Office

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

Autumn 2022 was warmer than average and any cold spells short lived, however there were unsettled periods in both September and October. Rainfall was above average overall but there was considerable variation around the country. For those with largely dry conditions the maize harvest was straightforward although yields were variable after the earlier dry weather. Sugar beet and potato yields were also impacted by the drought while for vineyards the long hot summer produced quality, high sugar content grapes and an early harvest. On many livestock farms, a flush of grass in the late autumn extended the grazing season and some farmers were even able to take extra cuts in October.

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