Farm Business Survey 2021-22: Farm level emissions and nitrogen usage: Methodology

Relevance

Relevance is about making sure our statistics meet the needs of users.

User need

These data are designated as experimental statistics. They are newly developed statistics undergoing testing.

This report provides greenhouse gas emission estimates and nitrogen use estimates for the average Scottish farm over the last three years. These data complement national level estimates and enterprise specific estimates by providing a view and timeseries of emissions and nitrogen use on real farms.

Agriculture and food production rely on natural processes and consequently will always cause a degree of greenhouse gas emissions, the primary cause of global warming. A high proportion of Scottish emissions are from agriculture.

Nitrogen is a key driver of productivity in agriculture given its direct impact on yield.  Nitrogen fertiliser is an expensive input and efficient use is linked to profitability. Nitrogen can also harm the environment and is linked to water pollution, poorer air quality, climate change and damage to natural ecosystems.

The emission and nitrogen use indicators published in ‘Farm Business Survey: Farm level emissions and nitrogen usage’ have been selected following a systematic literature review of environmental indicators and metrics that are currently used in farm level surveys and user engagement undertaken in 2023.

Findings from our stakeholder engagement sessions showed that the most common indicators found in our literature review (absolute emissions and emissions intensity as well as nitrogen use efficiency and nitrogen surplus) also most commonly meet the needs of our users.

Other indicators can be estimated from these data and may be available on demand and considered for future publications. User need was also identified for indicators that that cannot currently be produced as limited data is collected.

The data are under development to continue to improve and understand data quality and ensure that analysis is fit for purpose.

We wish to involve users in our assessment of suitability and quality. If you use this data we would like to hear from you, please get in touch with us at agric.stats@gov.scot.