Key Points

• The long-term trend in declining cattle numbers continued with a 2.4% decrease in 2024 to 1.67 million cattle when compared with the 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 five-year average. A decline in the numbers of calves and female beef cattle contributed to this decrease, set against a 1.6% increase in total female dairy cattle. The total number of cattle decreased by 0.9% when compared with 2023.  
• The total number of sheep in 2024 decreased by 3.8% to 6.47 million sheep when compared with the five year average.
• The number of pigs decreased by 6.5% when compared with the five year average to 315,500 pigs.  
• Overall the area of land used for growing cereals (wheat, barley, oats and other cereals) decreased by 0.8% compared with the five year average with a decrease in winter planting being partially offset by an increase in planting of spring barley.
• The winter planting of barley and oats decreased by 5.6% and 12% respectively when compared with the five year average. The area of land for wheat decreased by 6.2%.
• Spring barley increased by 3.5% when compared with the same period. Spring oats decreased by 10% leading to an overall decline in the area used for oats by 11%. Although spring oats decreased when compared with the five year average, the 2024 figure was up 12% when compared with the previous year.
• The area used for planting oilseeds rose by 6.0% compared with the five year average. Together the land used to grow cereals and oilseeds was broadly in line with the five year average (a decrease of 0.3%) with a 1.6% decrease when compared with 2023.
• Growing areas of vegetables for human consumption, excluding potatoes, increased by 5.3% compared with the five year average. The area used to grow crops for stockfeed remained similar to the five year average and the area of potatoes increased by 4.1%.
• The total workforce on agricultural holdings increased by 0.5% to 67,400 people in 2024 when compared with the five year average.
• Module questions on the use of agricultural machinery on holdings in the last 12 months and the destination of slurry after storage were also included in this year’s census.  

Detailed tables

Detailed tables have been produced to add context to the publication findings (Published 19 December 2024).

The detailed tables include further information on regional breakdowns, holding size, farm types, and occupier characteristics