Scottish Agricultural Census: June 2018

Further drop in the area of rented agricultural land

Rental arrangements

Most farmers who rent land have an open-ended right to keep their farm. The number of these "secure" arrangements (1991 Act tenancies and crofts) has been steadily falling, with them now making up 85 per cent of rental arrangements.

Newer tenancy arrangements tend to be for a limited period of time. The percentage of rented holdings with these tenancies increased from nine per cent in 2008 to 15 per cent in 2018.

Total rented agricultural area in Scotland in June 2018 : 1.28 million hectares

The area of rented agricultural land in Scotland has been declining steadily. In 2018, rented land accounted for 22 per cent of agricultural land in Scotland, down from 28 per cent in 2008.

The number of holdings which rent land has been falling in recent years. In June 2018, there were 16,100 holdings which had rented land, a fall of seven per cent since 2013. Just under 9,900 of these holdings were registered as rented crofts.

Since 2014, the number of holdings with long-term (non-limited) tenancy agreements has dropped, meanwhile the number of those with shorter-term (limited) agreements has risen.