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Provisional results from 2008 June Agriculture Census
24/09/2008
Scotland's Chief Statistician today published provisional results from the 2008 June Agricultural Census.
These provisional results indicate that, compared with June 2007:
- The total number of cattle fell by 40 thousand, or 2.1 per cent, to 1.858 million
- The total number of sheep fell by 368 thousand, or 4.9 per cent to 7.131 million
- The total number of pigs fell by 30 thousand, or 6.6 per cent to 426 thousand
- The size of the poultry flock rose by 431 thousand, or 3.0 per cent to 14.559 million
- There was decrease in the total number of occupiers, spouses and regular staff working on agricultural holdings of 2,260 or 3.7 per cent to 59,280. There was a small increase in casual and seasonal staff of 230 or 4.1 per cent to 5,840
- Cereal areas increased by 44 thousand hectares, or 10.9 per cent to 448 thousand hectares. Total barley increased by 35 thousand hectares or 12.6 per cent and wheat increased by 9 thousand hectares or 8.5 per cent *
- The area of land in set-aside decreased by 40 thousand hectares or 63.3 per cent to 23 thousand hectares *
Note that some crop areas on land attracting set-aside entitlements under the Single Farm Payment Scheme in 2008 may not have been reported on the June Agricultural Census.
Conversely, the set-aside estimate could include some land used for non-industrial arable, forage and protein crops. This is being investigated further and these estimates are subject to revision when final results are published on October 29, 2008.