Farm Accounts in England - Results from the Farm Business Survey 2020/21

Product Description

This release provides further detail behind the income results published on 9th November 2021. The results are sourced from the 2020/21 Farm Business Survey which covers the 2020 harvest and includes the 2020 Basic Payment. Figures cover a March to February year with the most recent year shown ending in February 2021. The release also includes analysis of diversified activities on farms and information on planned changes to farm businesses.

Key results

• 2020/21 was a far from typical year; the Covid-19 pandemic, challenging weather conditions (the extremely wet winter and very dry spring of 2020) and the end of the EU exit transition period were just some of the influencing factors. During this period average Farm Business Income increased across all farm types except general cropping and specialist poultry.
• On cereal farms, firm prices helped offset lower yields for some crops and higher fixed costs, leading to an overall increase in income of 14 percent. For general cropping farms, income fell by 21 percent with a drop in crop output which was not offset by lower input costs.
• On dairy farms, average income increased by 9 percent, with revenue from other cattle enterprises a key driver.
• On lowland grazing livestock farms, higher incomes were driven by a rise in output from cattle and sheep enterprises which more than compensated for a fall in crop output. For LFA grazing livestock farms similar drivers led to a 46 percent increase in average income.
• On specialist pig farms, income increased with firmer prices at the start of the year helping to offset later price falls and a rise in costs, particularly for feed. Average incomes on specialist poultry farms fell; increases to egg and crop output and higher income from diversified activities were not enough to offset lower output from poultry meat.
• The average Basic Payment across all farm types was £28,400, which was little changed compared to 2019.