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Agricultural Land Use: 1982-2005
Area (thousand hectares)
| 1982 | 1990 | 1995 | 2000 | 2004 | 2005 |
|---|
Rough grazing | 4,533 | 4,286 | 4,158 | 3,983 | 3,929 | 3,941 |
|---|
Grass | 1,104 | 1,130 | 1,159 | 1,187 | 1,225 | 1,235 |
|---|
Crops, fallow and set-aside | 641 | 644 | 643 | 652 | 643 | 621 |
|---|
Woodland and other | 114 | 153 | 213 | 262 | 320 | 319 |
|---|
Total land 9 | 6,392 | 6,213 | 6,174 | 6,083 | 6,116 | 6,115 |
|---|
Set-aside land 10 | - | - | 81 | 78 | 76 | 70 |
|---|
Agricultural land use has a strong influence on the landscape and environment of Scotland. In particular, changes in agricultural land use have an impact on wildlife habitats, water pollution, and emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.
Between 1982 and 2000, the total land used for agriculture in Scotland decreased by 5% to 6.08 m ha. This was followed by a slight rise to 6.12 m ha in 2005. The area of rough grazing decreased by 0.63 m ha (14%) between 1982 and 2003, rising slightly in 2004 and 2005. In 2005, the area of woodland and other land was more than two and a half times what it was in 1982. 11
The amount of land set-aside fell to 76,000 ha in 2004, due to the reduction in the Arable Area Payment Scheme set-aside rate that followed the poor EU harvest of 2003. Following changes to the EU Common Agricultural Policy, revised funding arrangements were introduced in 2005, and under the Single Farm Payment Scheme the area of set-aside land was 70,000 ha.
SOURCE: SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE ENVIRONMENT AND RURAL AFFAIRS DEPT
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