WIREDGOV

An Official Statistics Publication for Scotland.

The percentage of agricultural land used for organic farming has fallen by eight per cent to 136,000 hectares, or 2.4 per cent of agricultural land, according to new figures published today by Scotland’s Chief Statistician.

The fall in area was seen in grassland & rough grazing (down 8 per cent), cereals (down 17 per cent), potatoes and veg (down 15 per cent) and other land (down 20 per cent). Pasture now makes up 93 per cent of organic land.

There were falls in the number of organic cattle (down 35 per cent) and pigs (down nine per cent), but increases in sheep (two per cent) and poultry (15 per cent). However, there was an increase in the number of licensed producers and processors, up from 551 in 2013 to 576 in 2014.

There was also a fall in the area of organic farmland in the UK as a whole, with 3.2 per cent of land now organic. In Europe organic production is increasing, with the latest available data, for 2012, showing six per cent of agricultural land used for organic farming.

The documents released today were produced by independent statistical staff, free from any political interference, in accordance with professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Notes To Editors

The full publication can be accessed at: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/06/3129

These statistics are used by government and stakeholders to monitor and assess the economic well-being of the agricultural sector and for policy evaluation. Further information on Agriculture and Fisheries statistics within Scotland can be accessed at:
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Agriculture-Fisheries

More information on the standards of official statistics in Scotland can be accessed at:www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/About