National statistics

Introduction

Published 8 June 2023

Applies to England

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/farm-practices-survey-february-2023-greenhouse-gas-mitigation/introduction

Greenhouse gas mitigation practices – Farm Practices Survey England 2023

These results are from the February 2023 Farm Practices Survey, which focused on practices relating to greenhouse gas mitigation. The survey is usually run annually and collects information on a diverse range of topics usually related to the impact of farming practices on the environment.

Results are presented at England level and the topics covered include:

  • Nutrient management
  • Anaerobic digestion
  • Emissions
  • Fertiliser, manure and slurry spreaders
  • Manure and slurry storage
  • Farm health planning and biosecurity
  • Grassland and grazing
  • Livestock feeding regimes and breeding practices

The accompanying dataset shows the 2023 results broken down by farm type, size and region, providing a more detailed look at how practices may vary depending on characteristics of the farm. The 2023 dataset can be found at www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/farm-practices-survey-greenhouse-gas-mitigation.

The accompanying timeseries compares results for England with those from previous years, showing trends and changes over time.

Key points

  • Nutrient Management – 56% of holdings have a nutrient management plan and this proportion is similar to recent years.

  • Anaerobic digestion – 9.0% of farmers process waste by anaerobic digestion compared to only 5% five years ago.

  • Emissions – 53% of farmers are currently taking action to reduce GHG emissions from their farm. The two most popular actions are “improving energy efficiency” and “recycling waste materials from the farm”.

  • Fertiliser, manure and slurry spreaders – 81% of holdings spread manure or slurry on grass or arable land whereas 84% of holdings spread fertilisers on their grass and arable land.

  • Manure and slurry storage – temporary heaps in fields and heaps on a solid base were equally the most common form of manure storage (75%). Storage in tanks remains the most common facility for slurry (19%).

  • Farm health planning and biosecurity – 73% of livestock farmers have a Farm Health Plan. This has remained largely unchanged in recent years.

  • Grassland and grazing – 74% of livestock holdings sow some or all their temporary grassland with a clover mix. High sugar grasses were sown on 59% of livestock holdings with temporary grassland.

  • Livestock feeding regimes and breeding practices – 71% of holdings with livestock use a ration formulation programme or nutritional advice. This has consistently been the case for the last five years.

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