Introduction
Published 12 June 2025
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2025
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/farm-practices-survey-february-2025/introduction
Greenhouse gas mitigation practices – Farm Practices Survey England 2025
These results are from the February 2025 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
- Grassland and grazing
- Livestock feeding regimes and breeding practices
The accompanying dataset shows the 2025 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 2025 dataset can be found on GOV.UK.
The accompanying timeseries compares results for England with those from previous years, showing trends and changes over time.
Key points
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Nutrient Management – The proportion of holdings with a nutrient management plan increased to 64% in 2025. This is higher than recent years which have remained broadly stable at around 56% of holdings.
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Anaerobic digestion – 13% of farmers processed waste by anaerobic digestion in 2025. This proportion has seen steady growth over the last ten years.
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Emissions – 49% of farmers are currently taking action to reduce GHG emissions from their farm. The two most popular actions remain recycling waste materials from the farm and improving energy efficiency.
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Fertiliser, manure and slurry spreaders – 79% of holdings spread manure or slurry on grass or arable land whereas 83% of holdings spread fertilisers on their grass and arable land.
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Manure and slurry storage – the most commonly selected form of manure storage was “stored in the open on a field site without cover” (58%). For slurry, the most common method was “stored in lined or unlined earth bank lagoons without cover” (38%).
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Grassland and grazing – 84% of livestock holdings sow some or all their temporary grassland with a clover mix. High sugar grasses were sown on 73% of livestock holdings with temporary grassland.
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Livestock feeding regimes and breeding practices – 60% of holdings with livestock use a ration formulation programme or nutritional advice.