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Chapter 2: Structure of industry

Updated 22 July 2024

Summary

Key results for 2023 compared to 2022:

• The Utilised Agricultural Area (UAA) decreased by 2.3% and was 17 million hectares, covering 70% of land in the UK.

• The total croppable area saw little change and was 6.1 million hectares.

• The cereal crops area decreased by 2.7% and was 3.1 million hectares.

• The area of oilseed crops planted increased by 4.7% and was 418 thousand hectares.

• The total number of cattle and calves decreased by 0.8% and was 9.6 million animals. The beef herd decreased by 3.8% and was 1.4 million animals. The dairy herd decreased by 0.3% and was 1.8 million animals.

• The total number of pigs decreased by 10% and was 4.7 million animals. The total number of female pigs in the breeding herd decreased by 1.5% and was 338 thousand animals.

• The total number of sheep and lambs decreased by 4.1% and was 32 million animals.

• The total number of poultry decreased by 2.9% and was 178 million birds.

• The total labour force on commercial holdings decreased by 1.7% and was 462 thousand people.

Introduction

The tables and charts in this chapter show the size and structure of the agricultural industry in the United Kingdom at 1 June each year. They provide information on land use and livestock numbers, on the distribution of these between holdings and on the labour force.

Data in this chapter are sourced primarily from the June Surveys of Agriculture carried out in the four UK countries each year. There are some exceptions. In Scotland, most of the land use data are sourced from Single Application Form (SAF) subsidy data. In Northern Ireland, data for pig and poultry are extracted from the NI Annual Inventory of Pigs and Update of NI Bird Register respectively. Also, cattle data are sourced from the Cattle Tracing System (CTS) in England, Wales and Scotland and from the equivalent Animal and Public Health Administration System (APHIS) in Northern Ireland.

England data relate to commercial holdings only. Commercial holdings are defined as those with significant levels of farming activity, i.e. holdings with more than five hectares of agricultural land, one hectare of orchards, 0.5 hectares of vegetables or 0.1 hectares of protected crops, or more than 10 cows, 50 pigs, 20 sheep, 20 goats or 1,000 poultry.

For more information on the June Survey and for more detailed results, please see the pages for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Land use and crop areas

At June 2023 the Utilised Agricultural Area (UAA) was 17 million hectares, covering 70% of the total UK land area. UAA is made up of arable and horticultural crops, uncropped arable land, common rough grazing, temporary and permanent grassland and land used for outdoor pigs. It does not include woodland and other non-agricultural land.

The total croppable area remained broadly unchanged between 2022 and 2023, however some categories within this total had greater changes than others (see Table 2.1).

Cereal crops accounted for the majority (68%) of the cropped area. Wheat and barley are the predominant cereal crops. In 2023, the area of wheat decreased by 5.1% and was 1.7 million hectares. The area of barley increased by 1.9% and was 1.1 million hectares. Plantings continued to follow a more typical pattern following disruption due to weather in recent years. However in 2023, wheat plantings have possibly reduced in favour of farmers planting barley and oilseed.

The area of oilseed rape increased by 7.2% in 2023 and was 391 thousand hectares.

Potatoes decreased by 9.9% to 115 thousand hectares in 2023, continuing the downward trend seen in recent years. In 2023, the area recorded was the lowest in the last 40 years.

The remaining arable crops covered 750 thousand hectares. Peas for harvesting dry, field beans and maize together account for 69% of this area. The area of peas and field beans increased by 2.3% whilst the area of maize increased by 8.5%.

Figures 2.1a to 2.1c provide further detailed breakdowns of crop areas.

Table 2.1 Agricultural land use at June of each year (thousand hectares)

Enquiries: Will Drabble on +44 (0) 3000 600 170
Email: [email protected]

Category	2021	2022	2023
UAA (Utilised Agricultural Area)	17,227	17,426	17,022
UAA as a proportion of total UK area	71%	71%	70%
Total agricultural land	18,631	18,757	18,334
Common rough grazing	1,194	1,194	1,194
Total area on agricultural holdings	17,436	17,562	17,140
Total croppable area	6,056	6,084	6,086
Total crops	4,574	4,571	4,515
Arable crops	4,413	4,418	4,370
Cereals	3,211	3,173	3,088
Oilseeds	352	399	418
Potatoes	137	127	115
Other arable crops	713	718	750
Horticultural crops	161	153	145
Uncropped arable land	265	274	311
Temporary grass under 5 years old	1,217	1,240	1,260
Total permanent grassland	9,965	10,136	9,730
Grass over 5 years old	6,071	6,158	6,074
Sole right rough grazing	3,894	3,978	3,655
Other land on agricultural holdings	1,416	1,342	1,324
Woodland	1,076	996	948
Land used for outdoor pigs	12	12	12
All other non-agricultural land	328	334	364

Notes for table 2.1:

1. UAA includes all arable and horticultural crops, uncropped arable land, common rough grazing, temporary and permanent grassland and land used for outdoor pigs (it excludes woodland and other non-agricultural land).

2. Uncropped arable land includes all arable land not in production, including land managed in Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC12), wild bird cover and game cover.

3. Sole right rough grazing includes mountains, hills, heathland or moorland.

Source: UK Agriculture departments June Survey/Census of Agriculture

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Figures 2.1a to 2.1c - Crop areas at June of each year

Enquiries: Will Drabble on +44 (0) 3000 600 170
Email: [email protected]

Figure 2.1a Cereal crop areas (thousand hectares)

Year	Wheat	Barley	Oats	Rye, mixed corn and triticale	Total
2021	1,790	1,150	200	71	3,211
2022	1,813	1,116	176	69	3,173
2023	1,720	1,137	167	65	3,088

Figure 2.1b Other arable crop areas (thousand hectares)

Year	Oilseeds	Potatoes	Sugar beet (not for stockfeeding)	Peas for harvesting dry and field beans	Maize	Remaining arable crops	Total
2021	352	137	95	249	227	142	1,202
2022	399	127	91	269	222	137	1,245
2023	418	115	99	275	240	135	1,282

Figure 2.1c Horticultural crop areas (thousand hectares)

Year	Vegetables grown outdoors	Orchard fruit	Soft fruit & wine grapes	Hardy nursery stock, bulbs and flowers	Glasshouse crops	Total
2021	112	23	10	13	3	161
2022	107	22	10	11	3	153
2023	100	21	11	10	3	145

Notes for figures 2.1a to 2.1c:

1. Vegetables grown outdoors excludes potatoes, peas for harvesting dry and mushrooms.

2. Orchard fruit includes non-commercial orchards.

Source: June Surveys/Census of Agriculture/SAF land data

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Livestock numbers

In 2023, the total number of cattle and calves was 9.6 million, which decreased by 0.8% from 2022. The beef herd decreased by 3.8% and was 1.4 million animals and the dairy herd decreased by 0.3% and was 1.8 million animals.

The number of lambs under one year old was 15 million in 2023, which decreased by 6.1% from 2022. The female breeding flock decreased by 2.4% at 15 million animals. As a result, the total UK sheep and lamb population was 32 million which decreased by 4.1% compared to 2022.

The total number of pigs was 4.7 million which decreased by 10% from 2022. The number of pigs in the female breeding herd decreased by 1.5% and was 338 thousand in 2023. This is the lowest it has been in the past 21 years, with decreases seen across sows in pig and other sows, however gilts in pig saw a rise.

The total number of poultry in the UK decreased by 2.9% and was 178 million birds in 2023. Table chickens accounted for around two thirds of the total and decreased by 4.3% at 116 million birds in 2023. The breeding flock increased by 5.8% between 2022 and 2023 and sits at 13 million birds.

Figures 2.2a to 2.2d provide breakdowns of livestock populations.

Figures 2.2a to 2.2d - Livestock numbers at June of each year

Enquiries: Will Drabble on +44 (0) 3000 600 170
Email: [email protected]

Figure 2.2a Female cattle breeding herd (thousand head)

Year	Cows in the beef herd	Cows in the dairy herd	Total breeding herd
2021	1,485	1,850	3,335
2022	1,463	1,842	3,305
2023	1,407	1,836	3,243

Figure 2.2b Sheep numbers (thousand head)

Year	Female breeding flock	Other sheep and lambs	Total
2021	15,624	17,333	32,957
2022	15,826	17,348	33,174
2023	15,438	16,365	31,803

Figure 2.2c Female pig breeding herd (thousand head)

Year	Sows in pig	Gilts in pig	Other sows for breeding	Total breeding herd
2021	282	54	63	398
2022	247	42	54	343
2023	238	48	52	338

Figure 2.2d Poultry numbers (thousand birds)

Year	Laying flock (including pullets)	Breeding flock	Table chickens (broilers)	Turkeys, ducks, geese, all other poultry	Total
2021	40,568	12,271	126,693	10,487	190,019
2022	40,442	12,021	121,730	9,295	183,488
2023	41,073	12,720	116,440	7,909	178,142

Notes for figures 2.2a to 2.2d:

1. Dairy cows are defined as female dairy cows over 2 years old with offspring.

2. Beef cows are defined as female beef cows over 2 years old with offspring.

Source: June Surveys/Census of Agriculture; Cattle Tracing System/APHIS

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Numbers and sizes of holdings and enterprises

Tables 2.2a through to 2.2d compare the number of holdings and area by farm size in 2018 and 2023. In 2023, the total number of holdings was 209 thousand which decreased by 4.0% compared to 2018. Within the five-year period the total area on holdings has decreased by 2.1%.

Between 2018 and 2023 the average area of all holdings increased by 2.0% and the average croppable area of holdings increased by 2.1%.

Figure 2.3a shows the proportion of holdings and total area by size bands. This shows that 19% of holdings have 100 hectares or more, but these holdings account for 75% of the total area. Most holdings in 2018 and 2023 had fewer than 20 hectares and accounted for just 4% of the total area. A similar picture can be drawn for the croppable area which is shown in figure 2.3c

Tables 2.2a to 2.2d and 2.3a to 2.3b show number of holdings and total areas for the UK and by country, respectively.

Numbers and sizes of holdings and enterprises at June of each year

Enquiries: Will Drabble on +44 (0) 3000 600 170
Email: [email protected]

Table 2.2a Numbers of holdings by total area size group (thousand)

Year	Under 20 hectares	20 to under 50 hectares	50 to under 100 hectares	100 hectares and over	Total
2018	104	42	32	41	218
2023	98	41	30	40	209

Table 2.2b Total area on holdings by size group (thousand hectares)

Year	Under 20 hectares	20 to under 50 hectares	50 to under 100 hectares	100 hectares and over	Total area
2018	691	1,373	2,271	13,174	17,509
2023	712	1,343	2,162	12,922	17,140

Figure 2.3a Proportion of holdings and total area by size group

Category	Under 20 hectares	20 to under 50 hectares	50 to under 100 hectares	100 hectares and over	Total
2018 - Proportion of holdings	48%	19%	14%	19%	100%
2023 - Proportion of holdings	47%	20%	14%	19%	100%
2018 - Proportion of total area	4%	8%	13%	75%	100%
2023 - Proportion of total area	4%	8%	13%	75%	100%

Figure 2.3b Average total and croppable areas on holdings (hectares)

Year	Average total area	Average total area on holdings with >=20 hectares	Average croppable area
2018	80	147	63
2023	82	148	65

Table 2.2c Numbers of holdings with croppable areas by size group (thousand)

Year	Croppable area 0.1 to under 20 hectares	Croppable area 20 to under 50 hectares	Croppable area 50 to under 100 hectares	Croppable area 100 hectares and over	Total
2018	46	19	14	17	96
2023	46	17	13	17	94

Table 2.2d Croppable area on holdings by size group (thousand hectares)

Year	Croppable area 0.1 to under 20 hectares	Croppable area 20 to under 50 hectares	Croppable area 50 to under 100 hectares	Croppable area 100 hectares and over	Total croppable area
2018	296	609	979	4,201	6,084
2023	281	565	937	4,303	6,086

Figure 2.3c Proportion of holdings and croppable area by size group

Category	0.1 to under 20 hectares	20 to under 50 hectares	50 to under 100 hectares	100 hectares and over	Total
2018 - Proportion of holdings with croppable area	48%	19%	15%	18%	100%
2023 - Proportion of holdings with croppable area	50%	18%	14%	18%	100%
2018 - Proportion of croppable area	5%	10%	16%	69%	100%
2023 - Proportion of croppable area	5%	9%	15%	71%	100%

Notes for tables 2.2a to 2.2d and figures 2.3a to 2.3c:

1. Croppable area is defined as land under crops, temporary grass under five years old and uncropped arable land.

Source: June Surveys/Census of Agriculture/SAF land data Scotland.

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Tables 2.3a to 2.3b - Numbers of holdings and areas by size group and country at June of each year

Enquiries: Will Drabble on +44 (0) 3000 600 170
Email: [email protected]

Table 2.3a Numbers of holdings by total area size group and country (thousand)

Country	Under 20 hectares	20 to under 50 hectares	50 to under 100 hectares	100 hectares and over	Total
England	40	21	17	25	102
Wales	21	7	5	5	38
Scotland	26	5	4	8	43
Northern Ireland	11	8	4	2	26

Table 2.3b Total area on holdings by size group and country (thousand hectares)

Country	Under 20 hectares	20 to under 50 hectares	50 to under 100 hectares	100 hectares and over	Total area
England	327	689	1,220	6,763	8,999
Wales	123	219	361	1,065	1,768
Scotland	150	167	301	4,714	5,331
Northern Ireland	113	268	281	380	1,042

Figure 2.4 Average total area on holdings by country (hectares)

Country	Average total area	Average total area on holdings with >=20 hectares
England	88	139
Wales	47	99
Scotland	123	297
Northern Ireland	40	64
United Kingdom	82	148

Source: June Surveys/Census of Agriculture/SAF land data Scotland.

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Agriculture Workforce

The agricultural workforce in 2023 decreased by 1.7% and was 462 thousand people. Farmers, business partners, directors and spouses accounted for almost two thirds of the total labour force.

Figure 2.5 Agricultural labour force on commercial holdings at June of each year (thousand)

Enquiries: Will Drabble on +44 (0) 3000 600 170
Email: [email protected]

Year	Farmers, business partners, directors and spouses (full time)	Farmers, business partners, directors and spouses (part time)	Regular employees, salaried managers and casual workers	Total labour force
2021	147	153	167	467
2022	147	155	168	470
2023	148	151	163	462

Notes:

1. Part-time is defined as working less than 39 hours per week (England & Wales), 38 hours per week (Scotland) and 30 hours per week (N. Ireland).

2. Regular employees include salaried managers as not all UK countries collect separate estimates.

3. For labour force numbers in earlier years see Structure of the agricultural industry.

Source: June Surveys/Census of Agriculture

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Historical data on the proportion of holders by age group, up to and including 2016, are available in table 2.6 of the dataset for this chapter. Data has not been collected by all United Kingdom countries since 2016.