More cereals and sheep, but cattle numbers slide

The latest set of statistics looking at farming in Scotland has shown an increases in cereals, potatoes and sheep – while cattle numbers continued their slow decline. There also was a small increase in the area rented, but the area of secure tenancies continued its decline.

Based on the results of the June 2017 Agricultural Census, the Scottish Government’s latest figures showed that the overall area down to cereals had increased by 7,500 hectares, to 440,000 hectares.

An increase of 5,000 hectares in the area of spring barley accounted for most of this change, with the area of wheat remaining similar to 2016 levels, while the oat acreage increased b y 1,400 hectares. Fallow land decreased by 4,500 hectares (10 per cent) to 38,500 hectares.

Oilseed plantings for harvest in 2017 saw an increase of 3,500 hectares (11 per cent) and potatoes saw a small increase, of 1,800 hectares (6 per cent) to 29,000 hectares. There were also increases in the area of vegetables for human consumption (8 per cent), and of fruit (10 per cent). However, the area of crops for stock-feed decreased again slightly (3 per cent). Sheep numbers increased for the fourth

0 Sheep numbers continued their rise of recent years consecutive year, up 160,000 – an increase of 2 per cent – to seven million, though this figure is still lower than in 2008. Cattle numbers decreased again slightly, to 1.78 million, continuing a longerterm decline in numbers since the 1970s. Both dairy and beef numbers were down slightly.

The figures revealed that changes in pig and poultry numbers were small.

Pig numbers fell slightly by 4,300 (1 per cent) to 326,000.

Overall, poultry numbers increased slightly by 182,000 (1 per cent), this increase being made up of an 8 per cent rise in the number of layers, up to 6.8 million, while the number of broilers fell 4 per cent to 6.2 million.

One of the more surprising figures was an increase of 3,600 – close to 6 per cent – in the agricultural workforce since 2016, with 67,000 people employed directly on agricultural holdings during the course of the year.

The increase in the proportion of land rented to 23 per cent of the total – very slightly up on 2016 – was, however, made up of a fall in 91 Act secure land (tenancy and partnership) of about 51,000 hectares which was offset by an increase in short duration limited tenancy or limited duration tenancy land of about 63,000 hectares. This left an estimated 6,432 holdings with tenancy arrangements, down 160 on last year.

In total about 80 per cent of the area of Scotland was utilised as agricultural land, in 51,400 agricultural holdings.