§ Mr. Ieuan Wyn JonesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the change in the average size of agricultural holdings in the United Kingdom, England, and each of the English regions since 1978, 1968, and 1958.
§ Mr. GummerThe average sizes of agricultural holdings in terms of area of crops and grass per holding derived from the annual agricultural census for the years 1958, 1968, 1978, and 1987 are given in the table. The crops and grass area, which excludes rough grazings and woodland, is the only area measure available for all four years. Some of the apparent increase in average size is due to changes to the census threshold which have excluded an increasing number of smaller holdings from the census.
Average area of crops and grass (hectares per holding) 1958 1968 1978 1987 United Kingdom 25.0 33.2 42.6 47.3 England 28.7 40.6 50.7 53.6 The average size for each of the English regions in 1978 and 1987 is given in the table. Because of changes in definition, data for comparable regions are not available for 1958 or 1968.
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Average area of crops and grass (hectares per holding) 1978 1987 Region North 56.6 60.2 Yorks & Humberside 51.9 53.9 East Midlands 61.7 68.0 East Anglia 64.5 72.5 South East 57.9 58.4 South West 43.6 45.9 West Midlands 44.4 46.7 North West 28.4 30.4 Total England 50.7 53.6