Current status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 3 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how many hectares of agricultural land were taken out of use for farming in each of the last 10 years.
The figures set out in the following table have been derived from data contained within the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS). IACS contains land parcels that have been registered with Rural Payments and Inspections Division (RPID) for agricultural subsidy and/or keeping livestock. This data covers most but not all agricultural land within Scotland. When land is de-registered from IACS it is assumed it has been removed from agriculture for analysis purposes but could simply be it is no longer registered for agricultural subsidy and/or keeping livestock. Alongside land being de-registered (removed) additional land is also registered each year. The following table compares land de-registered and land registered for the past ten years highlighting net gain or loss. All figures are in hectares.
Year | De-registered Land | Registered Land | Net Gain/Loss |
2014-15 | 18554 | 17591 | -963 |
2015-16 | 7117 | 18490 | +11373 |
2016-17 | 4882 | 13984 | +9102 |
2017-18 | 7258 | 18843 | +11585 |
2018-19 | 5339 | 8205 | +2866 |
2019-20 | 4901 | 8050 | +3149 |
2020-21 | 12468 | 8321 | -4147 |
2021-22 | 3859 | 4355 | +496 |
2022-23 | 1332 | 5245 | +3913 |
2023-24 | 6222 | 4983 | -1239 |