Farmland covers about 64 per cent of the UK with more than 20 million hectares of land - that’s the equivalent of 30 million football pitches.
Of these 20 million hectares, 25 per cent of all farmland in the UK is used to grow crops with the majority of land growing grasses to feed livestock and for use in dairy farming.
However, farmland is on the decline in the UK. Between 2000 and 2010, we have lost about 447,790 hectares to housing, commercial parks and other urban developments.
Ongoing advances in farming has seen the UK farming industry grow by 10 per cent in the last three years despite the loss of land and AgriTech offers a unique way of getting the best for everyone.
Wheat is the most common crop in the UK
More than two million hectares are harvested every year in the eastern parts of England. East Anglia, the South-East and the East Midlands account for more than 58 per cent of the crop grown in the UK.
Over the last 40 years, there have been big improvements in the quality of wheat produced in the UK, meaning that millers not source more than 80 per cent of their supplies from British farmers. Approximately 7.8 million tonnes of wheat is produced in the UK for bread making.
We love Potatoes!
Farms in the UK produce more than five-and-a-half million tonnes of potatoes a year. That’s enough to cover 120,000 football pitches.
Fifty-two per cent of UK potatoes are produced in East Anglia and Yorkshire, but we are only producing a small amount compared to 50 years ago. Since then our harvested area of potatoes has halved.
Despite this, the UK is still ranked number 11 among other potato producing countries, our farmers being ever resourceful with a steady rate of spuds being produced year on year.
Counting Sheep
There are more than 35 million sheep and lambs in the UK - more sheep than any other country in Europe. The UK is perfectly suited to sheep production with its hills, highlands and lowlands making it home to more than 90 different sheep breeds.
Sheep have been resident of the UK since Roman times and became hugely important to their economy and welfare. Today, meat is the main product of sheep, although skins, wool and milk also have their own markets.
Sources
Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) https://ahdb.org.uk/
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs
Office for National Statistics (ONS) https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/articles/overviewoftheukpopulation/november2018