Farmers: Manpower
Environment Food and Rural Affairs
Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers there were in (a) Ribble Valley, (b) the North West and (c) the UK in each year since 1979; and what proportion of the total work force they made up.
Jonathan R Shaw (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (and Minister for the South East), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Chatham and Aylesford, Labour)
The following table shows the number of farmers and total agricultural work force in (a) Ribble Valley, (b) the North West and (c) England and the proportion of the total UK work force they made up for 1992-2006. These are the figures that are most readily available. Figures for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland fall under the jurisdiction of the devolved authorities.
| PQ 3543 Numbers of farmers and agricultural labour in Ribble Valley local authority, the North West region and England | ||||
| (a) Ribble Valley | ||||
| Farmers | As percentage of total UK work force | Agricultural labour | As percentage of total UK work force | |
| 1992 | 1,277 | 0.00 | 1,861 | 0.01 |
| 1993 | 1,309 | 0.00 | 1,884 | 0.01. |
| 1994 | 1,290 | 0.00 | 1,887 | 0.01 |
| 1995 | 1,253 | 0.00 | 1,818 | 0.01 |
| 1996 | 1,266 | 0.00 | 1,803 | 0.01 |
| 1997 | 1,253 | 0.00 | 1,797 | 0.01 |
| 1998 | 1,255 | 0.00 | 1,795 | 0.01 |
| 1999 | 1,245 | 0.00 | 1,728 | 0.01 |
| 2000 | 1,274 | 0.00 | 1,646 | 0.01 |
| 2001 | 1,323 | 0.00 | 1,697 | 0.01 |
| 2002 | 1,278 | 0.00 | 1,639 | 0.01 |
| 2003 | 1,218 | 0.00 | (1)— | (1)— |
| 2004 | 1,254 | 0.00 | 1,633 | 0.01 |
| 2005 | 1,243 | 0.00 | 1,576 | 0.01 |
| 2006 | 1,251 | 0.00 | 1,576 | 0.01 |
| (b) North West | ||||
| Farmers | As percentage of total UK work force | Agricultural labour | As percentage of total UK work force | |
| 1992 | 27,402 | 0.10 | 46,312 | 0.17 |
| 1993 | 27,605 | 0.10 | 46,147 | 0.17 |
| 1994 | 27,504 | 0.10 | 46,155 | 0.17 |
| 1995 | 26,461 | 0.09 | 45,148 | 0.16 |
| 1996 | 26,412 | 0.09 | 45,026 | 0.16 |
| 1997 | 26,199 | 0.09 | 44,593 | 0.16 |
| 1998 | 26,536 | 0.09 | 44,280 | 0.15 |
| 1999 | 26,024 | 0.09 | 42,020 | 0.14 |
| 2000 | 27,548 | 0.09 | 41,696 | 0.14 |
| 2001 | 28,670 | 0.10 | 42,413 | 0.14 |
| 2002 | 27,392 | 0.09 | 40,317 | 0.13 |
| 2003 | 26,601 | 0.09 | 38,340 | 0.13 |
| 2004 | 27,065 | 0.09 | 39,347 | 0.13 |
| 2005 | 26,824 | 0.09 | 39,097 | 0.13 |
| 2006 | 27,113 | 0.09 | 39,016 | 0.12 |
| (c) England | ||||
| Farmers | As percentage of total UK work force | Agricultural labour | As percentage of total UK work force | |
| 1992 | 213,337 | 0.8 | 420,074 | 1.5 |
| 1993 | 216,094 | 0.8 | 417,619 | 1.5 |
| 1994 | 215,010 | 0.8 | 410,809 | 1.5 |
| 1995 | 208,050 | 0.7 | 400,887 | 1.4 |
| 1996 | 207,807 | 0.7 | 396,786 | 1.4 |
| 1997 | 206,421 | 0.7 | 393,105 | 1.4 |
| 1998 | 208,156 | 0.7 | 396,557 | 1.4 |
| 1999 | 203,362 | 0.7 | 379,018 | 1.3 |
| 2000 | 220,934 | 0.7 | 374,291 | 1.3 |
| 2001 | 233,738 | 0.8 | 386,732 | 1.3 |
| 2002 | 225,521 | 0.7 | 371,824 | 1.2 |
| 2003 | 219,123 | 0.7 | 354,381 | 1.2 |
| 2004 | 224,449 | 0.7 | 367,585 | 1.2 |
| 2005 | 223,008 | 0.7 | 364,891 | 1.2 |
| 2006 | 223,769 | 0.7 | 361,017 | 1.1 |
| (1) Suppressed to maintain confidentiality. 2003 data for total labour in Ribble Valley are taken from a larger published dataset and have been suppressed to protect a total in another area where the value refers to a small number of holdings only. Notes: 1. Figures prior to 2000 cover main holdings only. Figures from 2000 onwards include main and minor holdings. A minor holding has to meet all the following conditions: (a) have a total area of less than six hectares (b) a total labour requirement of less than 100 standard person days (c) no regular full-time farmer or worker (d) a glasshouse area of less than a 100 square metres (e) the occupier does not farm another holding 2. Estimates have been made for holdings not selected or not responding. 3. Office of National Statistics total labour force figures include all work force categories (employed, self-employed, HM forces and Government supported trainees). 4. Agricultural labour force includes: (a) principal farmers, spouses and business partners (b) salaried managers, regular and casual/gang workers 5. Due to the introduction of new questions in 1998 figures prior to this year are not directly comparable with earlier years' results. 6. Due to a register improvement exercise in 2001 labour figures prior to this are not directly comparable with later results. Sources: 1. June Agricultural Survey | ||||