Pesticide usage in Scotland: arable crops and potato stores 2020

This publication presents information from a survey of pesticide use on arable crops and potato stores in Scotland during 2020.


Appendix 2 – Survey statistics, Census and sample information

Table 28 Regional distribution of arable crops in 2020, Census area (ha) of arable crops grown in Scotland
H&I(1) C&O(1) Moray Firth Abdn(1) Angus East Fife Lothian C. Low-lands(1) Tweed Valley S. Uplands(1) Solway Scotland 2020 Scotland 2018 % change
Winter barley 158 191 1,656 13,367 6,491 3,276 3,730 4,286 6,028 939 2,969 43,091 37,542 15
Spring barley 4,269 7,388 39,906 77,312 47,392 13,799 13,216 28,790 15,861 3,523 7,245 258,702 250,476 3
Wheat 61 * 3,872 8,111 21,439 12,816 15,494 8,099 19,603 1,050 2,976 93,538 99,778 -6
Winter oats 4 * 91 610 1,138 1,843 388 648 2,546 512 200 7,984 8,439 -5
Spring oats 465 2,331 2,140 5,103 3,462 3,378 1,391 3,869 3,101 334 424 26,000 23,661 10
Winter rye * 0 774 902 1,245 486 89 389 733 0 515 5,137 5,786 -11
Triticale * 0 * 114 * 0 0 152 86 * * 448 956 -53
Winter oilseed rape * 0 1,813 7,048 7,827 1,575 3,528 1,445 6,739 * 276 30,373 32,284 -6
Spring oilseed rape(2) * 0 * 51 170 77 * 84 * 0 * 537 454 18
Seed potatoes 182 21 1,688 2,280 5,551 405 121 1,195 495 * * 12,003 12,092 -1
Ware potatoes 124 33 952 469 7,785 2,333 1,440 1,293 1,630 1 233 16,294 15,268 7
Field beans * 0 60 * 155 325 496 289 610 0 197 2,138 2,034 5
Dry harvest peas * * * 84 61 * * * * * 0 328 515 -36
Lupins * * 0 * * 0 0 * 0 0 0 17 * N/A
Mixed grain 38 * * * 0 0 0 * 0 0 0 41 18 130
Totals 5,329 9,994 52,987 115,456 102,790 40,376 39,987 50,556 57,526 6,537 15,092 496,631 489,309 1

* To prevent disclosure of information about individual holdings, entries relating to fewer than five holdings are not reported

(1) H&I = Highlands & Islands, C&O = Caithness & Orkney, Abdn = Aberdeen, C. Lowlands = Central Lowlands, S. Uplands = Southern Uplands

(2) Includes linseed

N/A = not applicable

Table 29 Distribution of arable sample - 2020, Number of holdings surveyed in each region and size group
Size (ha) H&I(1) C&O(1) Moray Firth Abdn(1) Angus East Fife Lothian C. Low-lands(1) Tweed Valley S. Uplands (1) Solway Scotland
0.1-19.99 3 4 2 5 2 0 1 2 1 0 1 21
20-49.9 1 1 5 13 7 1 1 4 2 1 4 40
50-99.9 2 2 10 19 15 9 5 7 4 1 2 76
100-149.9 0 2 8 8 16 5 6 8 7 1 1 62
150+ 1 1 15 13 33 7 12 6 22 2 1 113
All sizes 7 10 40 58 73 22 25 27 36 5 9 312

(1) H&I = Highlands & Islands, C&O = Caithness & Orkney, Abdn = Aberdeen, C. Lowlands = Central Lowlands, S. Uplands = Southern Uplands

Table 30 Sampled area - 2020, Area (ha) of arable crops grown in sample
Size (ha) H&I(1) C&O(1) Moray Firth Abdn(1) Angus East Fife Lothian C. Low-lands(1) Tweed Valley S. Uplands (1) Solway Scotland
0.1-19.99 19 30 22 55 21 0 6 16 6 0 8 182
20-49.9 25 20 137 428 221 32 43 128 59 31 102 1,227
50-99.9 95 120 732 1,301 1,040 658 370 478 237 65 119 5,216
100-149.9 0 248 959 983 1,803 452 624 901 833 142 114 7,060
150+ 188 178 3,227 3,243 6,743 1,927 2,680 1,069 5,515 617 227 25,614
All sizes 328 596 5,077 6,012 9,828 3,069 3,723 2,593 6,649 855 570 39,298

(1) H&I = Highlands & Islands, C&O = Caithness & Orkney, Abdn = Aberdeen, C. Lowlands = Central Lowlands, S. Uplands = Southern Uplands

Table 31 Census area - 2020, Area (ha) of arable crops grown in Scotland
Size (ha) H&I(1) C&O(1) Moray Firth Abdn(1) Angus East Fife Lothian C. Low- lands (1) Tweed Valley S. Uplands(1) Solway Scotland
0.1-19.99 1,569 3,434 2,817 7,350 2,564 928 1,065 4,644 1,191 645 2,819 29,026
20-49.9 1,390 2,076 7,697 18,011 10,177 3,414 2,526 9,781 2,946 1,358 5,208 64,584
50-99.9 1,508 2,146 11,361 30,167 20,459 8,972 7,363 12,655 7,740 1,274 3,717 107,362
100-149.9 * 1,099 10,435 18,566 18,183 8,986 7,652 8,445 10,246 1,487 1,471 87,061
150+ * 1,239 20,677 41,362 51,407 18,075 21,381 15,030 35,403 1,773 1,878 208,597
All sizes 5,329 9,994 52,987 115,456 102,790 40,376 39,987 50,556 57,526 6,537 15,092 496,631

* To prevent disclosure of information about individual holdings, entries relating to fewer than five holdings are not reported.

(1) H&I = Highlands & Islands, C&O = Caithness & Orkney, Abdn = Aberdeen, C. Lowlands = Central Lowlands, S. Uplands = Southern Uplands

Table 32 Raising factors - 2020
Size (ha) H&I(1) C&O(1) Moray Firth Abdn(1) Angus East Fife Lothian C. Low-lands(1) Tweed Valley S. Uplands(1) Solway
0.1-19.99 83.0032 115.9885 130.8913 132.8928 120.7340 N/A 180.7589 283.8625 214.9729 N/A 352.3250
20-49.9 54.9597 103.5863 56.2180 42.0898 46.0612 107.2708 58.4746 76.4361 49.5731 44.0104 50.9972
50-99.9 15.8468 17.8171 15.5282 23.1788 19.6786 13.6360 19.9001 26.4691 32.6872 19.4728 31.1540
100-149.9 N/A 4.4306 10.8756 18.8790 10.0828 19.8835 12.2638 9.3700 12.3056 10.4983 12.9232
150+ 1.9724 6.9776 6.4068 12.7529 7.6237 9.3792 7.9795 14.0601 6.4196 2.8756 8.2799

(1) H&I = Highlands & Islands, C&O = Caithness & Orkney, Abdn = Aberdeen, C. Lowlands = Central Lowlands, S. Uplands = Southern Uplands

N/A = not applicable

Table 33 First and second adjustment factors - 2020
H&I(1) C&O(1) Moray Firth Abdn(1) Angus East Fife Lothian
C. Low- lands(1)
Tweed Valley S. Uplands(1) Solway ADJ2
Winter barley N/A N/A 1.1937 1.5248 0.9623 0.9047 1.1526 0.6188 0.9542 1.1023 1.0160 1.0081
Spring barley 1.0404 1.3217 0.9624 0.8992 0.9478 1.1851 0.7872 1.0380 0.8931 0.9824 0.7051 1.0000
Total wheat N/A 0.1440 0.6983 1.3786 1.1610 0.8136 1.2076 0.9745 1.0009 1.4303 2.3832 1.0006
Winter oats N/A N/A N/A 0.7299 0.8478 1.3921 N/A N/A 1.0562 1.5582 N/A 1.2009
Spring oats 0.8459 0.5432 1.9862 1.4886 0.6904 0.9418 0.4765 0.6860 1.1885 N/A N/A 1.0300
Winter rye N/A N/A N/A 0.3804 N/A 0.9792 N/A N/A 0.8585 N/A N/A 2.4224
Spring oilseed rape N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.4656 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 3.0972
Winter oilseed rape N/A N/A 1.0953 1.3765 0.8918 1.0475 1.6737 1.6513 1.1419 0.3601 0.4426 1.0001
Seed potatoes 1.7314 N/A 1.7430 0.8905 1.2223 7.4342 N/A 2.1069 0.8640 0.4992 N/A 1.0148
Ware potatoes 1.5216 N/A 1.0713 0.9215 1.0518 1.6986 1.2667 10.4816 1.8680 N/A 10.4918 1.0021
Dry harvest peas N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.0887 N/A N/A N/A N/A 10.9364
Field beans N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.7366 3.5074 0.7912 0.7688 0.9502 N/A N/A 1.1395

(1) H&I = Highlands & Islands, C&O = Caithness & Orkney, Abdn = Aberdeen, C. Lowlands = Central Lowlands, S. Uplands = Southern Uplands

N/A = not applicable

Response rates

The table below summarises the number of holdings contacted during the survey

Table 34 Response rate
2020 % total
Target sample 350 100
Total achieved 312 89
Total number of refusals/non-contact 162
Total number of farms approached 474

Financial burden to farmers

In order to minimise the burden on farmers and to comply with the restrictions imposed by COVID-19, the survey team used non-visit methods of collection such as email, post or telephone call.

To determine the total burden that the 2020 arable crop survey placed on those providing the information, the surveyors recorded the time that 287 respondents spent providing the data during the surveys. This sample represents 92 per cent of growers surveyed. The median time taken to provide the information was 20 minutes.

The following formula was used to estimate the total cost of participating:

Burden (£) = No. surveyed x median time taken (hours) x typical hourly rate*

(* using median “Full Time Gross” hourly pay for Scotland of £15.62)(12)

The total financial burden to all growers resulting from participation in the 2020 arable crop survey was calculated to be £1,624.

Contact

Email: psu@sasa.gov.scot

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