HC Deb 21 October 1986 vol 102 c810W
Mr. Deakins

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the United Kingdom's net farm income as a proportion of the total income of farmers.

Mr. Donald Thompson

In the 1983–84 tax year, for which provisional data are now available, the income of self-employed farmers in the United Kingdom from agriculture and horticulture amounted to almost three-fifths of their total income as assessed for tax. Corresponding estimates that include farming companies are not available. The information is derived from an anonymised sample of tax records and is not directly comparable with the established sources of farm income data, for example, the farm business survey and the departmental net income calculation.