2013 Scottish Survey of Farm Structure and Methods

The 2013 EU Farm Structure and Methods Survey recorded details of farming practices across the EU.  A similar survey was conducted in 2010.  The data is used to inform the development of EU and national policies on agriculture and the environment.  The survey covers mainly larger holdings, not the entire population of agricultural holdings included in the June Census.  However these larger holdings account for 98% of agricultural land in 2013 so the resulting information is largely representative of land use and management.

Some of the main findings from the Scottish survey are:-

• 85% of those managing farms were males, 31% were over 65, a further 27% were over 55 and just 3% were under 35 years old.
• 16% of managers/occupiers has completed a full agricultural training course of 2 years or more, nearly 73% has practical experience only, in 2010 this figure was 85%.
• 21% of holdings reported diversification activities on the farm.
• 6% of sheep farms, 15% of beef farms and 11% of dairy farms reported using genetic information such as Estimated Breeding Values (EBV’s).
• Over half of ewes were mated using a home-bred ram, around 1% were artificially inseminated (AI).  Around half of cows were mated using a brought-in bull with AI used in 16% of cattle matings.
• Conventional tillage methods were used on 81% of cultivated land, conservation tillage accounted for 11% and a further 8% of land was zero tilled.
• Soil cover methods varied across holdings, 41% used stubble whilst 19% of cultivated land was reported as being left bare.
• Around a third of holdings kept all their land in a general crop rotation.
• 47% of holdings with cultivated land applied manure, 34% applied slurry. Just 5% of the holdings that had applied manure or slurry have tested the nutrient value.

Full details can be found at – http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/11/7625