As regards Scottish Farm Business Incomes in 2012-13,
‘Agriculture in the United Kingdom 2012’ states that ‘It should be noted that forecasts of farm business income in 2012/13 are not produced in Scotland’[2]
. Table 3 thus represents the latest available data on the
derivation of Farm Business Incomes in Scotland, presumably during the twelve months ending February 2012. Table 3 has all the disadvantages of averages in that it neither
breaks down the results by size of farm nor by their performance relative to the average. More detailed analysis may be expected to modify the overall impression created by Table 3. Nevertheless, the implications are unavoidable. In 2011-12, taking the average, every livestock farm type in Scottish agriculture with the sole exception of dairying made negative Net Agricultural Output in 2011 - 2012; in other words, the value of output was exceeded by the cost of inputs. Predictably, the largest deficits as regards Net Agricultural Output were experienced by livestock farmers in less favoured areas, with specialist sheep coming off proportionately worse. In common with livestock farmers in England and the other
devolved administrations, Scottish livestock farmers received a range of other payments in 2011-12. The average sheep specialist in less favoured areas received £10,268 via the Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme (LFASS) and other channels while cattle and sheep farmers in the less favoured areas received an average of £19,458 through the same channels. Dairy farmers, on the other hand, received an average of £2,984 while mixed farmers received an average of £5,384. None the less, and taking Farm Business Income as a whole, the Single Farm Payment provided the largest component, even in dairying, with just over half of Farm Business Income derived from the Single Farm Payment. Table 4 presents the latest data for Northern Ireland which featured
in the above-mentioned publication; it has not, as far as I am aware, been subsequently updated. Although there is only limited data available, in common with other
parts of the UK, Northern Ireland is projecting a sharp fall in dairy farms business income in 2012-13 and a more modest fall in cattle and sheep raising in Less Favoured Areas. However, the role played by the Single Farm Payment in the various sectors of the agricultural scene in Northern Ireland can be illustrated in Figure 1 where Direct Payments and the Single Farm Payment are related to overall Farm Business Incomes. The Single Farm Payment represents over a third of total Farm
Business Income in 2011-12 while the payment constitutes the predominant proportion of Farm Business Incomes in cattle and sheep grazing in both lowland and Less Favoured Areas. It accounts for 47 per cent of mixed farms’ Farm Business Incomes. In contrast, it accounts for only a quarter of pig farms’ Farm Business Incomes.
Figure 1: Northern Ireland - Farm Business Income and Single Farm Payment 2011 - 2012
10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000
0 Pigs Dairy
Cattle & Sheep - Less Favoured Areas
Cattle & Sheep - Lowland
Mixed
Farm Business Income
Single Farm Payment
On 19 November 2013, DEFRA published the results of the 2012-
13 Farm Business Survey for England, using data collected by a variety of organisations including University Agriculture departments, including Cambridge, Nottingham, Reading and Exeter. The results examine farm incomes, outputs and costs for types and sizes of farms in England and in the English regions. Data on the income of farm businesses is used in conjunction with other information on the agricultural sector to help inform policy decisions; for example and critically, the reform of Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 of the Common Agricultural Policy, and to help monitor and evaluate current policies relating to agriculture in the United Kingdom. The data that emerged on 19 December consist of real data
related to farm incomes in England in the twelve months ending on 28 February 2013. Comparison is also made with the final estimates of Farm Business Incomes made in October 2013 (Table 5). With the exception of specialist pig farms and, notably, specialist
poultry farms, the picture in the twelve months to February 2013 is uninspiring. Farm Business Incomes in dairying and lowland grazing farms fell by more than 40 per cent while those of grazing farms in the Less Favoured Areas fell by almost a third, rather less than estimated in October. Mixed farms’ Farm Business Incomes also declined sharply. Specialist pig farms saw Farm Business Incomes rise by more than 7 per cent while those of specialist poultry farms more than doubled. In respect of the latter, it should be noted that this was due to a substantial increase in output delivered by the broiler and other poultry enterprise. Although egg prices increased, average output from eggs was unchanged due to a slight, 2 per cent, fall in production. Input costs also increased by 11 per cent on these farms but to a lesser extent than output. DEFRA note that the characteristics of this sector means that the income of individual farms can change considerably from year to year. These fluctuations impact industry totals directly, but also make the results more difficult
[2] Agriculture in the United Kingdom 2012 (Page 15) Table 4: Northern Ireland Farm Business Income by Type of Farm 2010 – 2011 to 2012 - 2013 Average per Farm (£) Dairy Grazing Livestock - less Favoured Areas Source: Agriculture in the United Kingdom 2012 PAGE 20 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 FEED COMPOUNDER 2010-2011
51,600 19,300
2011-2012 (1)
58,100 23,100
2012-2013
27,500 19,500
“ % Change
2012-2013 against 2011-2012” -52.7 -15.6
Figures in £
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