§ Mrs. Margaret EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in theOfficial Report the average selling price per acre of agricultural land in Scotland in each of the past 10 years.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythThe information required is shown in the following table. The data are for equipped farms with vacant possession, sub-divided between hill and upland type farms and other farms.
383W
Hill and upland type farms £/hectare Other farms £/hectare 1978 588 2,016 1979 1,189 3,034 1980 1,221 2,940 1981 1,241 2,548 1982 1,183 2,784 1983 1,408 3,018
Hill and upland type farms £/hectare Other farms £/hectare 1984 1,042 3,020 1985 1,024 2,568 1986 1578 2,130 21987 874 1,931 1 This figure results from an unusually large piece of land sold at a below average price. 2 To date.
§ Mrs. Margaret EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what record he has maintained of land which has been taken out of agricultural use in Scotland since 1979; if he will list in theOfficial Report the total average of land currently in agricultural use in Scotland; and what was the comparable amount in 1979.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythThe annual June agricultural census provides information on land going out of agricultural use. Between 1979 and 1986 the total recorded was 125,500 hectares. The areas of land covered by the census in 1986 and 1979 respectively were 5,968 thousand hectares and 6,134 thousand hectares. The two series are not completely comparable for a variety of reasons, including corrections and remeasurements.