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

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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