Question reference: S4O-00688
- Asked by: Paul Wheelhouse, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 1 February 2012
-
Current status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 February 2012
Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the recent announcement of Total Income From Farming increase means for Scottish farming.
Answer
The 4.1% increase in farm incomes in 2011 is good news for Scottish farming. It builds on the 25% increase seen in 2010 and this trend is generating optimism in the industry, which is at a 16-year high according to the recent Lloyds Bank Group agricultural survey.
But the figures also present a challenge to farmers, to make the most of their high value resources and to reduce their costs, which also rose substantially in 2011.