Agriculture industry in the UK - Statistics & Facts

Agriculture and farming are vitally important for the United Kingdom as the sector constitutes a key supply source for the country’s food consumption needs. As of 2020, approximately 71 percent of the total area of the United Kingdom was used as agricultural land and the agricultural sector contributed more than 9 billion British pounds in gross value added (GVA) to the national economy in that year.

Crop farming in the UK

With more than 4.5 million hectares of land area used for crops, the United Kingdom produces a variety of agricultural crops for domestic consumption, but also for global export. In 2021, wheat production in the United Kingdom was valued at approximately 2.7 billion British pounds, while fresh vegetable production reached around 1.67 billion pounds in value.

Livestock farming in the UK

The number of dairy cows in the United Kingdom has not fluctuated much in the last decade, hovering around 1.8 million dairy cows. The biggest number is mainly concentrated in farms in England, where the number of dairy cows reached 1.1 million in 2021, compared to around 174 thousand in farms in Scotland. Nationwide, the total amount of slaughtered cows and adult bulls was around 655 thousand adult cattle in 2020.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Jan 30, 2023

Key insights

Total income from farming in the UK
5bn GBP
Total agricultural land area in the UK
18.63m hectares
Gross value added of agriculture in the UK
9.44bn GBP
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Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Total agricultural land area in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2003 to 2021 (in 1,000 hectares)

Crop Production

Total agricultural land area in the United Kingdom (UK) 2003-2021

Total income from farming in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2000 to 2021 (in million GBP)

Farming

Total farming income in the United Kingdom (UK) 2000-2021

Gross value added (GVA) of agriculture in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2003 to 2020 (in million GBP)**

Agriculture

Agriculture gross value added in the United Kingdom (UK) 2003-2020

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