THE WHEAT BUSINESS
Wheat is sown on two-fifths of Britain’s arable land, and there is a total
harvest of 12–17 million tonnes per year. Wheat is the most widely grown cereal
crop in the UK.
Farming and the economy
Farming, of all types, contributes over £5 billion to the UK economy. The
total labour force employed in agriculture in the UK is 541,000. Overall, 1.8%
of the UK’s workforce is directly employed in farming.
Agriculture plays a crucial role in a number of ‘upstream’ and ‘downstream’
industries within the UK food chain. With an annual output of around £140
billion and generating some 3.8 million jobs, the UK food chain accounts for
almost 8% of the total economy and 14% of all employees in the UK.
Rural tourism contributes an estimated £14 billion to the economy.
Household spending on food and drink rose 2.2% from 2005–2006, from £23.05
per person per week to £23.56 per person per week. Spending on cereal-based
foods (such as bread and breakfast cereals) rose 3.3%, from £3.76 per person per
week to £3.88 per person per week.
Using the land
Farmers manage over 75% of the total land area of the UK. Here is the land
use for one year (2006).
| Land use |
Hectares (000s) |
Per cent (%) |
| Total crops |
4340 |
23.2 |
| Bare fallow |
150 |
0.8 |
| Set-aside scheme land |
513 |
2.7 |
| Grass leys (all grass under 5 years old) |
1137 |
6.1 |
| Permanent pasture (all grass over 5 years old) |
5967 |
31.9 |
| Rough grazing |
4491 |
24 |
| Other |
268 |
1.4 |
| Total agricultural area |
18,713 |
100 |
Wheat and other cereals
Cereal crops are grasses that produce grains that humans and animals eat.
There are several different types of cereal: wheat, barley, oats, maize and
rice.
Wheat
- The UK currently produces 12–17 million tonnes of wheat each season and
exports more than 15% of the crop.
- About 40% of the UK crop is used to feed animals such as pigs, chickens
and cows. The remainder is used for human consumption.
- Flour made from wheat is used to make bread, biscuits and many other
food products.
Barley
- Barley is the second most widely grown crop in the UK. Each year the UK
produces around 5 million tonnes and exports 10% of the crop.
- 50–60% of the UK crop is used to feed animals. Some of the rest is used
in the brewing and distilling industry to produce malt, beer and spirits.
Oats
- The UK produces around 700,000 tonnes of oats a year.
- About 60% is used for food products such as muesli, oat-based snacks and
multi-grain breads. More than a third of British oats are fed to animals,
including as a specialist feed for racehorses.
Farming issues
UK agriculture is experiencing a serious economic recession. All sectors have
been affected by a number of issues.
Farming incomes
Total income from farming in the UK in 2003 was estimated to be £3.2 billion.
It is now 77 per cent above the low point in 2000, when the average UK farmer
earned just £8267 from farming.
Prices
The collapse in world commodity prices at the end of the 1990s had a big
effect on farming; cereal prices fell 40% between 1995 and 2000. Following
recent reform of the CAP and a weaker Euro, EU grain prices have been brought
close to world levels for many grains. This means that a wider range of factors
from outside the EU now affect prices here in the UK.
Workforce
Farming employs 557,000 farmers and farm workers. Nearly 60,000 jobs were
lost in the UK's agricultural and horticultural industry in the three years to
June 2001. As the industry recession continues, many farmers are retiring so
there are skills shortages in the industry.
The common agricultural policy (CAP)
The CAP was developed to ensure that European Countries could supply
themselves with food. The CAP offers guaranteed prices for farmed commodities,
but surplus crops meant that measures – such as 'set-aside' – were needed.
Set-aside means land that farmers are not allowed to use for any agricultural
purpose. They are paid a subsidy in return. Better technology means the 90% of
land being used is more productive, plus the set-aside land benefits bird,
mammal and insect populations.
Farmers and the environment
As concerns about climate change and the impact of humans on the environment
increase, farmers need to be aware of the effect their activities have on the
land. Find out more
here.
