Accredited official statistics

Farm Business Income by farm type in England 2024/25

Updated 20 November 2025

Applies to England

Data on Farm Business Income are used to monitor and evaluate Government policies and to inform wider research into the economic performance, productivity and competitiveness of the agricultural industry. The data are also widely used by the industry for benchmarking.

This release provides survey results of Farm Business Income, covering the 2024 harvest and including the 2024 delinked Basic Payment (as this contributes to Farm Business Income). The survey period is March 2024 to the end of February 2025. These results replace the forecast estimates published on 11 March 2025. The data contributing to this report can be found on the main release page.

Due to methodological changes within the weighting process and the update of the Standard Labour Requirement coefficients, the 2022/23 and 2023/24 data have been revised. For more details of the changes see section 6.1 of the technical note.

In simple terms, Farm Business Income is the output generated by the farm business minus total farm costs. For the full definition of Farm Business Income see section 6.5 of the technical note.

Key results

• In 2024/25, average Farm Business Income rose for all farm types except specialist pig farms and horticulture farms. The figures should be taken in context against longer term trends and the increases in 2024/25 follow a considerable fall in income for some farm types in 2023/24.

• Breaking Farm Business Income down by cost centre shows the increasing importance of diversification and agri-environment activities for many farms. For cereal farms, Farm Business Income rose by a fifth to £49,700. For general cropping farms average income was 3% higher at £107,700. In both cases the main driver was an increased return on diversification and agri-environment activities.

• On dairy farms, average Farm Business Income more than doubled to £153,800 with a rise in the farmgate price of milk and output from other cattle enterprises the primary drivers.

• On lowland grazing livestock farms, average Farm Business Income increased from £18,500 to £41,300 while for grazing livestock farms in Less Favoured Areas average income was 61% higher at £40,300. For both farm types increased revenue from agri-environment activities was a key factor.

• Average Farm Business Income fell by 6% to £126,700 for specialist pig farms with a substantial increase in agricultural output not enough to offset lower revenue from diversification and the delinked Basic Payment. On specialist poultry farms Farm Business Income rose by just over a third to £235,900, with higher output from poultry meat one of the main drivers.

• For horticulture farms, Farm Business Income fell by 1% to £52,700 in 2024/25 with higher costs, particularly casual labour and contract costs, more than offsetting an increase in agricultural output.

• Across all farms, average net income from agri-environment activities increased from £10,100 in 2023/24 to £21,100 in 2024/25. This equated to around 30% of total Farm Business Income.

Points which apply throughout

1. The Farm Business Survey is the source for all data presented in tables and charts unless otherwise stated.

2. All figures relate to England, unless otherwise stated and, on average, cover a March to February fiscal year, with the most recent year shown ending in February 2025. Fiscal years are shown in YYYY/YY format, for example, the period of 1 March 2024 to 28 February 2025 is shown as 2024/25. To ensure consistency in harvest/crop year and commonality of subsidies within any one Farm Business Survey year, only farms which have accounting years ending between 31 December and 30 April are included in the survey. Aggregate results are presented in terms of an accounting year ending on the last day of February, which is the approximate average of all farms in the Farm Business Survey.

3. All financial figures have been rounded to the nearest £100. All percentages have been rounded to the nearest 1% and have been calculated using the unrounded data.

4. The data presented are current values unless otherwise stated.

5. The acronym ‘LFA’ refers to Less Favoured Area. These areas were established in 1975 to provide support to mountainous and hill farming areas. They are areas where the natural characteristics (geology, altitude, climate, short growing season, low soil fertility, or remoteness) make it difficult for farmers to compete.

6. Where dataset tables are referred to in the text, this refers to the ‘Farm Business Income in England, 2024/25 - dataset’ file, which can be found on the publication landing page.

User engagement

In line with Defra’s User Engagement for Statistics Policy Statement and the Code of Practice for Official Statistics we are committed to ensuring that our statistics are of value and meet user needs and we welcome any feedback or suggestions regarding this publication. To provide feedback, you can email us at: fbs.queries@defra.gov.uk . You can also register as a user of the FBS statistics publications. Registering as a user means we will be able to contact you regarding any user engagement activities that we may run, such as seeking feedback on proposed changes.

1 Farm Business Income by farm type

Figures 1.1 and 1.2 show average Farm Business Income compared to 2020/21 (the start of agricultural transition) in real terms. A full time series is available in the dataset, shown in both current prices and real terms.

Figure 1.1 Average Farm Business Income in real terms (£ per farm) for cropping farms by farm type in England, 2020/21 and 2022/23 to 2024/25

Source: Dataset table 1

Figure notes:

1. The legend is presented in the same order as the bars.

2. 95% Confidence Intervals have been presented to show the range where the true value is likely to lie and provides an indication of the degree of uncertainty of the estimate; see section 6.3 for more detail.

3. There is a break in the series in 2022/23, this represents changes in the method used to assign farms to a specific farm type, the change in Standard Labour Requirements and the update to the weighting methodology. For simplicity, this is not shown here but is presented in the individual farm type charts and the dataset.

Figure 1.2 Average Farm Business Income in real terms (£ per farm) for livestock farms by farm type in England, 2020/21 and 2022/23 to 2024/25

Source: Dataset table 1

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

1. 95% Confidence Intervals have been presented to show the range where the true value is likely to lie and provides an indication of the degree of uncertainty of the estimate; see section 6.3 for more detail.

2. There is a break in the series in 2022/23, this represents changes in the method used to assign farms to a specific farm type, the change in Standard Labour Requirements and the update to the weighting methodology. For simplicity, this is not shown here but is presented in the individual farm type charts and the dataset.

1.1 Cereal Farms

Figure 1.3 Average Farm Business Income at current prices (£ per farm) for cereal farms in England, 2015/16 to 2024/25

Source: Dataset table 1

Figure notes:

1. The breaks in the series shown in 2017/18 and 2022/23 represent changes in the method used to assign farms to a specific farm type, along with further changes to the Standard Labour Requirements and the update to the weighting methodology in 2022/23. Where breaks occur, average income has been calculated using both methods for comparability.

2. 95% Confidence Intervals have been presented to show the range where the true value is likely to lie and provides an indication of the degree of uncertainty of the estimate; see section 6.3 for more detail.

Compared to 2023/24, which, in real terms, saw the lowest level of income on cereal farms since 2015/16, average Farm Business Income increased by 20% in 2024/25 to £49,700 (Table 1.1 and Figure 1.3 for a comparison to all farms over time at current prices). Higher net income from agri-environment activities, which more than doubled to £25,900 and diversification (particularly renting out of buildings), which rose by 28% to £32,600, more than offset losses on agricultural activities (Figure 3.1). As in 2023/24, cereal farms failed to make a positive return on agriculture with average losses increasing to £27,400. A 9% fall in input costs, chiefly driven by lower fertiliser costs, was not enough to offset a larger decrease in output from crop enterprises. Wet autumn drilling conditions particularly impacted winter sown crops and the cool, wet harvest also affected yields. Winter wheat output fell by just over a quarter with smaller crop areas and yields compounded by lower prices, the result of plentiful global supplies. Winter barley output was also lower while output from oilseed rape fell 27% despite increased prices, reflecting reduced average yields and smaller average crop area. Overall, crop output was down 14% compared to 2023/24. At the same time, the delinked Basic Payment reduced by 24% to £18,600.

1.2 General Cropping Farms

Figure 1.4 Average Farm Business Income at current prices (£ per farm) for General Cropping farms in England, 2015/16 to 2024/25

Source: Dataset table 1

Figure notes:

1. The breaks in the series shown in 2017/18 and 2022/23 represent changes in the method used to assign farms to a specific farm type, along with further changes to the Standard Labour Requirements and the update to the weighting methodology in 2022/23. Where breaks occur, average income has been calculated using both methods for comparability.

2. 95% Confidence Intervals have been presented to show the range where the true value is likely to lie and provides an indication of the degree of uncertainty of the estimate; see section 6.3 for more detail.

Average Farm Business Income on general cropping farms rose by 3% in 2024/25 to £107,700 (Table 1.1 or Figure 1.4 for a comparison to all farms over time at current prices). As with cereal farms, increased returns from the diversification and agri-environment cost centres were key contributing factors. Net income from diversification rose by 43% to £40,500, driven by food processing and retailing enterprises. On average, agri-environment activities generated £25,200, an increase of £13,800 compared to 2023/24. Total crop output fell by 2% with small rises for peas and beans, sugar beet and other crops only partially offsetting larger decreases for winter wheat and barley. For sugar beet, the rise reflected a larger average crop area while for peas and beans improved yields were a factor. Output from oilseed rape also rose, mainly as a result of higher prices and, on this type of farm, minimal reduction in average yield. Agricultural fixed costs fell by 1% while variable costs were 5% higher; a 23% reduction to fertiliser costs was not enough to offset increases to other inputs, particularly contracting, other crops costs and seed. These factors combined led to a fall in net income from agricultural of 43%. At £18,100 the average delinked Basic Payment was 22% lower than 2023/24.

1.3 Dairy Farms

Figure 1.5 Average Farm Business Income at current prices (£ per farm) for Dairy farms in England, 2015/16 to 2024/25

Source: Dataset table 1

Figure notes:

1. The breaks in the series shown in 2017/18 and 2022/23 represent changes in the method used to assign farms to a specific farm type, along with further changes to the Standard Labour Requirements and the update to the weighting methodology in 2022/23. Where breaks occur, average income has been calculated using both methods for comparability.

2. 95% Confidence Intervals have been presented to show the range where the true value is likely to lie and provides an indication of the degree of uncertainty of the estimate; see section 6.3 for more detail.

After a fall income in 2023/24 (following 2 years of exceptional highs), dairy farms saw average Farm Business Income more than double to £153,800 in 2024/25 (Table 1.1 or Figure 1.5 for a comparison to all farms over time at current prices). The average farmgate milk price rose by 8% and the recovery of milk prices, supported by tight supplies in the early part of the year, was a key driver increasing agricultural output by 14%. It is important to note the wide variation in milk prices with some farmers receiving considerably more or less than the average. Output from other cattle enterprises, important to many dairy farms, rose by 38%. Crop output increased by 10%, largely driven by a higher output from by-products, forage and cultivations. Combined, these increases more than compensated for a 5% rise in agricultural costs. Variable costs were 6% higher, most notably purchased feed and fodder, other livestock costs and contract labour. Fixed costs increased by 4% with labour, machinery running costs, water and other general costs the main contributors. Net income from agri-environment activities rose by £13,800 to £21,900. The average delinked Basic Payment was 24% lower at £13,100, while income from diversification activities fell by around a quarter to £7,300 (Figure 3.1).

1.4 Lowland Grazing Livestock Farms

Figure 1.6 Average Farm Business Income at current prices (£ per farm) for Lowland Grazing Livestock farms in England, 2015/16 to 2024/25

Source: Dataset table 1

Figure notes:

1. The breaks in the series shown in 2017/18 and 2022/23 represent changes in the method used to assign farms to a specific farm type, along with further changes to the Standard Labour Requirements and the update to the weighting methodology in 2022/23. Where breaks occur, average income has been calculated using both methods for comparability.

2. 95% Confidence Intervals have been presented to show the range where the true value is likely to lie and provides an indication of the degree of uncertainty of the estimate; see section 6.3 for more detail.

In 2024/25, average Farm Business Income on lowland grazing livestock farms increased from £18,500 to £41,300 (Table 1.1 or Figure 1.6 for a comparison to all farms over time at current prices), in real terms this was the highest income for this type of farm since 2009/10. At £17,000, the net return agri-environment income more than doubled and contributed most to the increase in overall income (Figure 3.1). Income from diversification activities (particularly building rental and other diversified activities) rose by 42% to £14,300. Higher agricultural output resulted in a positive (albeit small) return on agricultural activities for the first time since 2021/22. Output from beef enterprises, which tend to make the biggest contribution to livestock output on these farms, increased by 37% reflecting firm output prices plus increased stocking rates and numbers sold. Sheep output was 27% higher with lamb prices (both fat and store) consistently up on the year, including some record highs and like cattle, higher stocking and sold numbers. For both lowland farms and those in Less Favoured Areas the difference between the livestock opening and closing valuations can have a considerable impact on income. In 2024/25, closing valuations for both sheep and beef were higher than opening valuations, bolstering enterprise output. A rise in agricultural costs of 15% (notably general farming costs, feed and labour) put pressure on margins but was offset by the higher agricultural output. Increased income from the other cost centres was also sufficient to offset a 16% reduction in the delinked Basic Payment.

1.5 LFA Grazing Livestock Farms

Figure 1.7 Average Farm Business Income at current prices (£ per farm) for LFA Grazing Livestock farms in England, 2015/16 to 2024/25

Source: Dataset table 1

Figure notes:

1. The breaks in the series shown in 2017/18 and 2022/23 represent changes in the method used to assign farms to a specific farm type, along with further changes to the Standard Labour Requirements and the update to the weighting methodology in 2022/23. Where breaks occur, average income has been calculated using both methods for comparability.

2. 95% Confidence Intervals have been presented to show the range where the true value is likely to lie and provides an indication of the degree of uncertainty of the estimate; see section 6.3 for more detail.

For LFA grazing livestock farms average Farm Business Income rose 61% to £40,300 (Table 1.1 or Figure 1.7 for a comparison to all farms over time at current prices). At £23,600, net income from agri-environment activities was 57% higher than 2023/24. Often an important source of income for LFA farms, these payments equated to 59% of average Farm Business Income. This increase, along with higher revenue from diversified activities (which rose to £7,500) more than compensated for a 26% reduction in the delinked Basic Payment and an average loss from agriculture of £2,700 (Figure 3.1). In terms of agricultural enterprises, although output rose by 5%, this was not enough to produce a positive return on agricultural activities although losses were reduced compared to 2023/24. Output from sheep was unchanged compared to 2023 with both lower numbers sold and stocking rates (a likely contributing factor being the smaller 2024 lamb crop) offsetting record lamb prices and higher prices for breeding ewes and hoggs. Output from beef enterprises rose by 8% with similar drivers to lowland farms while there was a slight (1%) fall in crop output.

1.6 Specialist Pig Farms

Caution
The Farm Business Survey (FBS) sample for specialist pig farms is relatively small, meaning that individual farms can have a large influence on the results and the results should be treated with caution.

Figure 1.8 Average Farm Business Income at current prices (£ per farm) for Pig farms in England, 2015/16 to 2024/25

Source: Dataset table 1

Figure notes:

1. The breaks in the series shown in 2017/18 and 2022/23 represent changes in the method used to assign farms to a specific farm type, along with further changes to the Standard Labour Requirements and the update to the weighting methodology in 2022/23. Where breaks occur, average income has been calculated using both methods for comparability.

2. 95% Confidence Intervals have been presented to show the range where the true value is likely to lie and provides an indication of the degree of uncertainty of the estimate; see section 6.3 for more detail.

Compared to 2023/24, average Farm Business Income on specialist pig farms was 6% lower at £126,700 (Table 1.1 or Figure 1.8 for a comparison to all farms over time at current prices). A substantial increase in net income from agriculture, which doubled to £85,700, was insufficient to compensate for a fall in revenue from both diversification and the delinked Basic Payment. Agricultural input costs were considerably lower; fixed costs fell by 5% and variable costs by 24%. Feed accounted for much of the decrease in variable costs, reflecting the lower value of raw ingredients such as wheat and barley. In terms of fixed costs, labour, machinery running costs and electricity all fell, offsetting small rises for other inputs. The lower costs more than offset a drop in pig output of 13% which reflected a reduction in average numbers of both sows and finished pigs, although prices remained relatively stable. The return from diversification activities fell by around two thirds to £21,900 with lower output from food processing and retailing, tourism and building rental accounting for most of the reduction. At £10,000 the delinked Basic Payment was 34% lower than 2023/24.

Note that these changes should be treated with caution because of the small sample size and the wide confidence intervals. Contract rearers are also well represented in the FBS sample. Business models for contract rearing operations are varied and these types of farms may not be impacted by price variations to the same extent as non contract rearing farms.

1.7 Specialist Poultry Farms

Caution
The FBS sample specialist poultry farms are relatively small, meaning that individual farms can have a large influence on the results, and the results should be treated with caution.

Figure 1.9 Average Farm Business Income at current prices (£ per farm) for Poultry farms in England, 2015/16 to 2024/25

Source: Dataset table 1

Figure notes:

1. The breaks in the series shown in 2017/18 and 2022/23 represent changes in the method used to assign farms to a specific farm type, along with further changes to the Standard Labour Requirements and the update to the weighting methodology in 2022/23. Where breaks occur, average income has been calculated using both methods for comparability.

2. 95% Confidence Intervals have been presented to show the range where the true value is likely to lie and provides an indication of the degree of uncertainty of the estimate; see section 6.3 for more detail.

At £235,900, average Farm Business Income on specialist poultry farms was 35% higher than 2023/24 (Table 1.1 or Figure 1.9 for a comparison to all farms over time at current prices). Output from poultry meat rose by 5% which more than offset a 4% fall in egg output, the result of a decrease in quantity (reflecting fewer layers) rather than price, which rose. In terms of price, this is in line with the trend seen in UK statistics (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/egg-production-and-prices), but not for production where UK statistics show an increase. These factors combined increased agricultural output by 2%. At the same time overall costs were virtually unchanged compared to 2023/24. A rise in fixed costs of 9% (driven by labour) was completely cancelled out by lower variable costs (most notable feed and fodder). Overall, the net contribution of agricultural activities was around two thirds of the average Farm Business Income on poultry farms in a marked contrast to some other farm types. Net income from diversification activities was £54,900, a 67% increase on the previous year while agri-environment payments were 73% higher at £11,800.

Note that these changes for specialist poultry farms should be treated with caution because of the small sample size and the range of enterprises covered by this farm type. For example, there are farms producing broilers, turkeys, ducks and geese and for laying flocks the systems cover organic and conventional free range enterprises as well as enriched cages.

1.8 Mixed Farms

Figure 1.10 Average Farm Business Income at current prices (£ per farm) for Mixed farms in England, 2015/16 to 2024/25

Source: Dataset table 1

Figure notes:

1. The breaks in the series shown in 2017/18 and 2022/23 represent changes in the method used to assign farms to a specific farm type, along with further changes to the Standard Labour Requirements and the update to the weighting methodology in 2022/23. Where breaks occur, average income has been calculated using both methods for comparability.

2. 95% Confidence Intervals have been presented to show the range where the true value is likely to lie and provides an indication of the degree of uncertainty of the estimate; see section 6.3 for more detail.

On mixed farms Farm Business Income more than doubled to £58,000 in 2024/25 (Table 1.1 or Figure 1.10 for a comparison to all farms over time at current prices) with income from diversification contributing most to overall income followed closely by agri-environment activities (Figure 3.1). Gains for food processing and retailing and other diversified activities more than compensated for a fall in output from tourism and, while associated diversification costs rose, it was to a lesser extent than output. At £24,300, the net contribution of the diversification cost centre was 18% higher than 2023/24. Agri-environment payments more than doubled to £22,800 . At the whole farm level these factors combined led to an increase in output of 26%. Alongside this, the average delinked Basic Payment fell by 19% to £15,600. In 2024/25, mixed farms again failed to generate a positive return on their agriculture activities although the average loss of £4,700 was a reduction compared to 2023/24. Crop output was 3% lower and an increase in livestock output of 53% (driven by pigs, eggs and cattle) was not enough to mitigate higher fixed and variable costs which rose by 21% and 14% respectively.

1.9 Horticulture Farms

Figure 1.11 Average Farm Business Income at current prices (£ per farm) for Horticulture farms in England, 2015/16 to 2024/25

Source: Dataset table 1

Figure notes:

1. The breaks in the series shown in 2017/18 and 2022/23 represent changes in the method used to assign farms to a specific farm type, along with further changes to the Standard Labour Requirements and the update to the weighting methodology in 2022/23. Where breaks occur, average income has been calculated using both methods for comparability.

2. 95% Confidence Intervals have been presented to show the range where the true value is likely to lie and provides an indication of the degree of uncertainty of the estimate; see section 6.3 for more detail.

For horticulture farms, Farm Business Income fell by 1% to £52,700 in 2024/25. Agricultural output rose by just over a quarter driven by increases across virtually all horticultural enterprises, particularly soft fruit and strawberries (139% increase) and glasshouse flowers, bulbs and nursery stock. However, agricultural costs rose to a greater extent than output, notably casual labour which more than doubled and contract costs which were 75% higher. This resulted in a return on agricultural activities of £28,100, which was 17% lower than 2023/24. Output from diversified activities, often an important revenue stream for horticulture farms, fell by 12% with increased output from building rental only partially offsetting reductions for other enterprises. However, associated diversification costs reduced to a greater degree than output meaning that, overall, net income from the diversification cost centre was 6% higher than 2023/24 at £15,900. Income from agri-environment activities increased to £7,000 while the delinked Basic Payment was £1,800 (Figure 3.1).

2 Distribution of Farm Business Income

Figure 2.1 Distribution of Farm Business Income by farm type in England, 2024/25

Source: Dataset table 4

Figure notes:

1. The legend is presented in the same order as the bars.

2. Due to small sample sizes, some categories have been merged for general cropping farms and horticulture farms; the categories are ‘Less than £0’, ‘£0 to £24.9k’, ‘£25k to £49.9k’, ‘£50k to £99.9k’ and ‘£100k and over’.

3. Due to small sample sizes, some categories have been merged for specialist pig farms and specialist poultry farms; the categories are ‘Less than £0’, ‘£0 to £49.9k’, ‘£50k to £99.9k’ and ‘£100k and over’.

4. The sample sizes for specialist pig and poultry farms are relatively small with average incomes subject to greater variation.

The average values mask the considerable variability in incomes at the farm level, both between and within farm types (Figure 2.1). In 2024/25, 21% of farms failed to make a profit (compared to 30% of farms in 2023/24). However, the proportion was higher for some types, such as cereals, mixed and horticulture (27%, 25% and 33% respectively). Specialist poultry farms had the largest proportion of farms with an income of more than £100,000 at 69% followed by dairy at 51% of farms, while grazing livestock farms (both lowland and LFA) and horticulture had the lowest proportions. The variation in incomes within farm type reflects different production costs between farms, which are influenced by a number of factors such as size, location, soil type etc.

More detailed analysis of farm incomes based on farm performance is provided in Farm Accounts in England. This will be updated with 2024/25 data on 22 January 2026 and published on the GOV.UK website.

3 Farm Business Income by Cost Centre

Figure 3.1 Cost Centre breakdown for Farm Business Income by farm type, 2024/25.

Source: Dataset table 5

Figure notes:

1. The legend is presented in the same order as the bars (FBI is represented by circular points) except for cereal, LFA grazing livestock, and mixed farms, where the values for the agriculture cost centre are negative.

2. The data shown are the averages across all farms in the sample, including those that do not have any income within some of the cost centres.

3. The sample sizes for specialist pig and poultry farms are relatively small with average incomes subject to greater variation.

Farm Business Income can be broken down by cost centre (Figure 3.1) to illustrate the relative contribution to average total Farm Business Income (shown by the marker on each column).

Of the four cost centres, income from agricultural activities made the biggest contribution to overall Farm Business Income for dairy, pigs, poultry and horticulture farms. On average, cereal, LFA grazing livestock and mixed farms failed to generate a positive return on their farming activities in 2024/25. For cereal, general cropping and mixed farms income from diversification activities contributed most to Farm Business Income, while for grazing livestock farms (both lowland and LFA) it was agri-environment activities.

The progressive reduction to the Basic Payment was introduced in 2021 and in 2024 payments were delinked from land and entitlements. The data presented shows the delinked payment. The scale of change to the payment varied by farm type, but across all farms the average net payment received was approximately £13,500. For all farms, the payment accounted for around 19% Farm Business Income. Again, at the all farm level, average income from the agri-environment cost centre increased by 110% to £21,100.

4 Revisions

Forecasts of Farm Business Income for 2024/25 were published in March 2025. These forecasts were based on information available in early February 2025 for prices, animal populations, marketings, crop areas, yields and input costs and were intended as a broad indication of how incomes for each farm type were expected to move compared with 2023/24.

The outturns published here are based on actual survey results from the Farm Business Survey 2024/25. Forecasts for general cropping, dairy and specialist pig farms were within the confidence limits of the survey outturns.

The average income for cereal farms was higher than forecast due to an underestimation of output from diversified activities and, to a lesser extent, output from crops. For grazing livestock farms, both lowland and those in Less Favoured Areas, income was also higher than forecast. On lowland farms this was largely the result of an underestimation of output from cattle, sheep and diversified activities. For LFA grazing livestock farms the value of agri-environment activities was underestimated. Average income on mixed farms was higher than predicted with crop output higher than forecast.

No forecasts were produced for specialist poultry farms in 2024/25 as these are subject to a considerable degree of uncertainty, reflecting both the structure of these sectors and the relatively small sample of these farms in the Farm Business Survey. These factors meant it was not possible to produce robust forecast estimates. Forecasts are not produced for horticulture farms.

Table 4.1 Revisions to average Farm Business Income per farm (£/farm) by Type of Farm in England from forecast at current prices.

Farm type	Forecast: March	Outturn: November	Lower confidence limit	Upper confidence limit	Change
Cereals	£27,000	£49,700	£34,400	£65,100	£22,700
General cropping	£108,000	£107,700	£81,500	£133,900	-£300
Dairy	£176,000	£153,800	£131,400	£176,200	-£22,200
Lowland grazing livestock	£28,000	£41,300	£35,400	£47,200	£13,300
LFA grazing livestock	£28,000	£40,300	£30,900	£49,700	£12,300
Specialist pigs	£155,000	£126,700	£70,800	£182,500	-£28,300
Mixed	£30,000	£58,000	£40,000	£76,000	£28,000

Table notes:

1. Forecasts are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and all other figures are rounded to the nearest £100.

2. Confidence limits give an indication of the degree of uncertainty around an estimate. The lower and upper limits show the possible range around the published averages.

5 What you need to know about this release

5.1 Contact details

Responsible statistician: Alison Wray

Public enquiries: fbs.queries@defra.gov.uk

For media queries between 9am and 6pm on weekdays:

Telephone: 0330 041 6560

Email: newsdesk@defra.gov.uk

5.2 National Statistics Status

Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. An explanation can be found on the Office for Statistics Regulation website. Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

These accredited official statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in January 2014. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and should be labelled ‘accredited official statistics’.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards (see contact details above). Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

Since the latest review by the Office for Statistics Regulation, we have continued to comply with the Code of Practice for Statistics, and have made the following improvements:

• Reviewed and improved data presentation to better meet accessibility guidelines

• Automated production of the statistics using Reproducible Analytical Pipelines (RAP)

• Reviewed and improved accompanying commentary.

5.3 User engagement

As part of our ongoing commitment to compliance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics we wish to strengthen our engagement with users of these statistics and better understand the use made of them and the types of decisions that they inform.

We invite users to make contact to advise us of the use they do, or might, make of these statistics, and what their wishes are in terms of engagement. Feedback on this statistical release and enquiries about these statistics are also welcome. To provide feedback, you can email us at: fbs.queries@defra.gov.uk . You can also register as a user of the FBS statistics publications. Registering as a user means we will be able to contact you regarding any user engagement activities that we may run, such as seeking feedback on proposed changes.

The survey timetable and publication dates for the 2025/26 survey will be amended with publication of the Farm Business Income results now planned for early to mid December 2026. This is due to HMRC changes to the tax year which have impacted data collection and the delivery of data in recent years.

5.4 Survey content, methodology and data uses

The Farm Business Survey is an annual survey providing information on the financial position, physical characteristics, and economic performance of farm businesses in England. The sample of farm businesses covers all regions of England and all types of farming.

Data for the Farm Business Survey are collected through face-to-face interviews with farmers, conducted by highly trained research officers.

The data are widely used by the industry for benchmarking and inform wider research into the economic performance of the agricultural industry, as well as for evaluating and monitoring current policies. The data will also help to monitor farm businesses throughout the Agricultural Transition period.

5.5 Availability of results

All Defra statistical notices can be viewed on the Statistics at Defra page.

More publications and results from the Farm Business Survey are available on the Farm Business Survey Collection page.

6 Technical note

6.1 Revisions to 2022/23 and 2023/34 data

The phasing out of Direct Payments has meant that the BPS variables used in the FBS weighting calibration model were no longer available for the 2024/25 data; as a result, the model has been updated. As this is a methodological change, it caused a break in the time series. A break in 2024/25 would only be two years after the 2022/23 break, which was caused by the introduction of the 2017 Standard Output coefficients. Therefore, it was decided to roll back the calibration model changes to the 2022/23 break, and to revise the 2022/23 and 2023/24 results. Alongside this change, the 2024 Standard Labour Requirement coefficients have been applied back to 2022/23.

6.2 Survey coverage and weighting

The Farm Business Survey only includes farm businesses with a Standard Output of at least £21 thousand, based on activity recorded in the previous June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture. In 2024/25, the sample of 1,450 farms represented approximately 49,300 farm businesses in England.

Initial weights are applied to the Farm Business Survey records based on the inverse sampling fraction for each design stratum (farm type and farm size). Dataset table 17 of the Farm Accounts in England publication will show the distribution of the sample compared with the distribution of businesses from the 2024 June Survey of Agriculture. These initial weights are then adjusted, using calibration weighting, so that they can produce unbiased estimates of a number of different target variables. These variables have been updated due to the BPS data no longer being available in 2024/25. The detailed technical note on the weighting methodology has been updated to reflect the changes in the calibration model. More detailed information about the Farm Business Survey can be found on the technical notes and guidance page. This includes information on the data collected, information on calibration weighting and definitions used within the Farm Business Survey.

6.3 Accuracy and reliability of the results

As it is impractical to survey the entire population of farms, estimates derived from the Farm Business Survey data are inherently subject to sampling error. This is a core principle in statistical survey methodology, which aims to infer population parameters by obtaining a representative sample through carefully designed sampling techniques. To quantify sampling error and provide a measure of uncertainty, this publication presents 95% confidence intervals for estimated means. These intervals, shown as error bars in bar plots, indicate the range within which we expect the true population mean to lie for 95% of similarly constructed samples. Narrower confidence intervals typically indicate larger sample sizes or less variability within the sample, thereby offering more precise estimates of the population mean. Conversely, wider confidence intervals often result from smaller sample sizes or greater sample standard deviations, signalling less precision. These wider intervals should be interpreted with greater caution. Statistically, a confidence interval provides a plausible range for the true population mean based on the sample data. Specifically, a 95% confidence interval reflects a process that, under repeated sampling, would contain the true population mean in 95% of such intervals, rather than indicating a 95% probability for any single interval to include the population mean.

6.4 Farm type classification

From 2023/24, the classification of farms is based on 2017 standard output coefficients. The 2022/23 results have been recalculated and presented in this release to allow comparability between 2022/23 and 2023/24. The results published here are therefore not directly comparable with those published in earlier years, which are based on previous standard output coefficients. More details on the impact of the change can be found on the Farm Business Survey Technical notes and guidance page.

6.5 Farm Business Income

For non-corporate businesses, Farm Business Income represents the financial return to all unpaid labour (farmers and spouses, non-principal partners and their spouses and family workers) and on all their capital invested in the farm business, including land and buildings. For corporate businesses it represents the financial return on the shareholders capital invested in the farm business. Note that, prior to 2008/09, directors’ remuneration was not deducted in the calculation of Farm Business Income.

Farm Business Income is used when assessing the impact of new policies or regulations on the individual farm business. Farm Business Income is essentially equivalent to financial Net Profit, however, the measures slightly differ because Net Profit is derived from financial accounting principles whereas Farm Business Income is derived from management accounting principles. For example, in financial accounting output stocks are usually valued at cost of production, whereas in management accounting they are usually valued at market price. In financial accounting, depreciation is usually calculated at historic cost whereas in management accounting it is often calculated at replacement cost.