§ Mr. McQuarrieasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish figures for the decline in farm incomes in Scotland over the past 10 years compared with the remainder of the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. John MacKayEstimated aggregate farming income in Scotland and in the United Kingdom as a whole has fluctuated, as shown in the table below, over the past 10 years. In real terms there has been a decline of 60 per cent. in Scotland and nearly 30 per cent. in the United Kingdom over the period, although the number of farmers sharing in these aggregates has also declined.
Farming Income £ million Scotland United Kingdom 1974 110 792 1975 124 994 1976 199 1,283 1977 170 1,263 1978 116 1,255 1979 77 1,147 1980 30 1,047 1981 85 1,353 1982 140 1,801 1983 107 1,502 1984 141 1,826