§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of land in England was(a) under cultivation for crops and (b) used for animal rearing in (i) 1975, (ii) 1985, (iii) 1995 and (iv) the most recent year for which figures are available. [14059]
§ Mr. MorleyThe information is given in the table.
Thousand hectares 1975 1985 1995 2001 Total area of England1 13,042 — — — — of which: Percentage total crops — 30.1 33.7 29.6 29.0 Percentage animal rearing — 40.2 36.4 34.3 33.1 1 Including inland waterways Notes:
1. Crops including all arable crops. some of which are grown for stockfeeding.
2. Animal rearing is all grassland and rough grazing.
3. Common land has not been included in the figures for animal rearing. There are 427,889 hectares of common land in England.
Sources:
1. Crops and Animal Rearing—June Agricultural Census 1975, 1985, 1995 and 2001 (main and minor holdings).
2. Total Area of England—Office for National Statistics (2001 data).