§ Mr. Onslowasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his latest estimate of the acreage of land under agricultural cultivation in England; and how this compares with the position in 1979 and 1974.
§ Mrs. FennerThe following table shows the areas of the main categories of land used for agricultural purposes in England at June of each year.
Thousand hectares 1974 1979 1983 Arable (crops plus grass under 5 years old) 5,374 5,203 5,280 Grass 5 years old and over 3,234 3,281 3,151 Rough grazing (excluding common rough grazing) 816 778 765 Woodland and other land 211 299 322 Total agricultural land (excluding common rough grazing) 9,634 9,561 9,518 Source: June agricultural census.