Results from the Scottish Survey of Agricultural Production Methods, 2010

1. Introduction

The Survey of Agricultural Production Methods (SAPM) formed part of the 2010 EU Farm Structure Survey and recorded details of farming practices across Scotland. This was the first occasion that the SAPM had been carried out in Scotland and, consequently, time series data are not available. The data will be used to inform the development of EU and national policies on agriculture and the environment.

The survey was undertaken on a sample of around 6,000 drawn from the 34,000 holdings included in the Farm Structure Survey, with returns received from 4,400. Since the Farm Structure Survey covered mainly larger holdings, the results published here refer to these larger holdings only, and not of the entire population of agricultural holdings. These holdings however accounted for 97.8 per cent of agricultural land in 2010 so are largely representative of agricultural land use and livestock management in Scotland. More information on how the figures were produced can be found in the methodology section.

We welcome comments on the content or format of this publication to:
e-mail: Graeme.Kerr@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Tel: 0300 244 9709