Economic Report on Scottish Agriculture 2011 Edition
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General Cropping
As with specialist cereal farms, there was a large decrease in the FBI of General Cropping farms. FBI decreased by £42,531 (70 per cent) from £60,863 in 2008/09 to £18,332 in 2009/10. This was caused by a £39,088 (16 per cent) decrease in total outputs and a £9,737 (4 per cent) increase in input costs. These were offset slightly by an increase in grants and subsidies of £7,005 (17 per cent).
The decrease in total outputs was primarily due to large decreases in cereal and potato output. Cereal output fell by around a quarter from £94,569 in 2008/09 to £71,617 in 2009/10, despite the average cereal area of farms in the survey being similar in both years of the survey. This decrease reflects the decrease in cereal prices seen over this time period. Average potatoes areas for General Cropping farms in the sample decreased by 7 per cent whereas potato output decreased by £12,183 (17 per cent). Again, this reflects the fall in potato prices in 2009/10.
Total livestock output increased by £4,426 (15 per cent) from £28,909 in 2008/09 to £33,335 in 2009/10. The average number of cattle and sheep held on general cropping farms in the survey increased between 2008/09 and 2009/10. This, in addition to strong prices for Cattle and Sheep in 2009/10, led to an increase of £3,000 (13 per cent) in cattle output and an increase of £1,567 (30 per cent) in sheep output. Miscellaneous output, which includes contract work, fell by £8,766 (33 per cent) in 2009/10, compared to 2008/09.
Grants and subsidies increased by £7,005 to £47,490 in 2009/10. This was primarily due to the increase in SFP of £6,494 (17 per cent), caused by the favourable exchange rates in September 2009.
Compared to 2008/09, fertiliser costs increased by £8,182 (32 per cent) to an average of £34,103 per farm in 2009/10. There were also large rises in labour, which rose £5,734 (33 per cent), and machinery depreciation, which rose by £4,784 (14 per cent). There were also some large falls in input costs. The average cost of machinery costs and fuel fell by £5,067 (11 per cent) to £42,708 and other crop expenses fell by £4,565 (16 per cent) to £24,272.
Average income from diversified activities decreased by £710 (14 per cent) from £4,958 in 2008/09 to £4,249 in 2009/10. There were a slightly higher number of general cropping farms recording diversified activity however the average income per farm fell. Further details are provided in a separate section on diversification.
Chart B4(f): Selected outputs and inputs, General Cropping
Table B4(f): Average cropping and stocking, output, inputs, and Farm Business Income by type of farm
Type of farm: General Cropping |
Small |
Medium |
Large |
All Sizes |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number of farms in sample |
14 |
12 |
15 |
13 |
26 |
29 |
55 |
54 |
2008-09 |
2009-10 |
2008-09 |
2009-10 |
2008-09 |
2009-10 |
2008-09 |
2009-10 |
|
Average size of business ( SLR) |
1.5 |
1.3 |
2.5 |
2.5 |
6.4 |
5.5 |
3.6 |
3.3 |
Average size of farm (hectares) |
92 |
86 |
148 |
147 |
288 |
306 |
179 |
189 |
Area of Cereals (hectares) |
52 |
41 |
94 |
91 |
151 |
158 |
99 |
98 |
Area of potatoes (hectares) |
7 |
9 |
14 |
14 |
38 |
32 |
21 |
19 |
Number of ewes |
20 |
19 |
42 |
39 |
53 |
61 |
37 |
40 |
Number of suckler cows |
4 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 39 | 43 | 19 | 20 |
Number of other cattle |
22 |
31 |
41 |
30 |
87 |
101 |
51 |
60 |
Average output £ per farm |
||||||||
Crops: Cereals |
48,789 |
23,509 |
88,024 |
69,407 |
146,913 |
119,598 |
94,569 |
71,617 |
Potatoes |
9,469 |
10,440 |
9,937 |
14,452 |
163,090 |
121,256 |
69,626 |
57,443 |
Other crops |
11,937 |
10,380 |
17,619 |
18,392 |
54,955 |
54,530 |
29,831 |
30,218 |
Total crop output |
70,195 |
44,329 |
115,580 |
102,251 |
364,957 |
295,385 |
194,026 |
159,277 |
Livestock: Cattle |
9,882 |
13,681 |
18,009 |
8,686 |
40,809 |
46,453 |
23,510 |
26,510 |
Sheep |
4,690 |
4,713 |
6,466 |
6,381 |
5,094 |
8,897 |
5,183 |
6,750 |
Pigs |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Poultry |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Milk |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Other livestock |
250 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
283 |
173 |
216 |
75 |
Total livestock output |
14,822 |
18,393 |
24,475 |
15,080 |
46,186 |
55,524 |
28,909 |
33,335 |
Miscellaneous |
25,475 |
4,341 |
19,425 |
35,546 |
30,289 |
22,767 |
26,215 |
17,449 |
Total Output |
110,492 |
67,063 |
159,480 |
152,877 |
441,432 |
373,675 |
249,149 |
210,061 |
Subsidy and Payments |
20,520 |
22,920 |
33,394 |
32,678 |
65,358 |
77,670 |
40,485 |
47,490 |
(of which LFASS) |
(00) |
(0) |
(00) |
(0) |
(1,338) |
(3,169) |
(523) |
(1,324) |
(of which SFP) |
(19,231) |
(22,043) |
(30,533) |
(30,757) |
(61,427) |
(71,833) |
(37,865) |
(44,359) |
Average inputs - £ per farm |
||||||||
Feed |
4,007 |
4,137 |
6,808 |
5,724 |
16,206 |
20,532 |
9,306 |
11,263 |
(of which home produced) |
(1876) |
(2004) |
(1,561) |
(1,498) |
(4,856) |
(5,649) |
(2,982) |
(3,440) |
Other livestock expenses |
2,003 |
2,849 |
3,520 |
2,276 |
6,218 |
9,120 |
3,937 |
5,370 |
Seeds |
4,554 |
3,062 |
6,163 |
8,612 |
31,842 |
32,413 |
15,528 |
16,289 |
(of which home grown) |
(377) |
(495) |
(740) |
(1252) |
(14082) |
(12492) |
(5804) |
(5640) |
Fertilisers |
10,456 |
12,570 |
16,568 |
19,340 |
47,054 |
61,292 |
25,921 |
34,103 |
Other crop expenses |
8,134 |
6,514 |
11,816 |
13,787 |
59,300 |
45,993 |
28,836 |
24,272 |
Labour |
4,140 |
1,102 |
5,397 |
10,352 |
37,155 |
49,719 |
17,287 |
23,021 |
Machinery costs and fuel |
21,242 |
13,170 |
29,539 |
28,631 |
85,089 |
77,444 |
47,775 |
42,708 |
Machinery depreciation |
14,122 |
13,303 |
29,120 |
33,635 |
55,161 |
63,460 |
33,002 |
37,786 |
Land and building costs |
11,009 |
8,839 |
14,830 |
16,148 |
47,424 |
49,573 |
25,970 |
27,127 |
Miscellaneous |
14,447 |
8,350 |
18,435 |
21,137 |
42,494 |
34,586 |
26,167 |
21,529 |
Total average inputs |
94,114 |
73,896 |
142,197 |
159,640 |
427,943 |
444,129 |
233,730 |
243,467 |
Diversification Margin |
6,442 |
2,964 |
3,207 |
6,826 |
4,211 |
4,437 |
4,958 |
4,249 |
of which: Diversification Output |
7,067 |
4,294 |
3,821 |
8,420 |
6,621 |
7,660 |
6,279 |
6,416 |
Diversification Input |
625 |
1,330 |
614 |
1,594 |
2,410 |
3,223 |
1,321 |
2,167 |
FARM BUSINESS INCOME |
43,340 |
19,051 |
53,885 |
32,741 |
83,058 |
11,653 |
60,863 |
18,332 |
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