HC Deb 16 December 1993 vol 234 cc801-3W
Dr. Strang

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information she has on the level of indebtedness among(a) specialist sheep farmers and (b) mixed cattle and sheep farmers in the (i) severely disadvantaged areas and (ii) disadvantaged areas for each year since 1984.

Mr. Jack

[holding answer 15 December 1993]: The farm business survey provides data on indebtedness from a sample of farm businesses in England. Results for the new farm classification are available only from 1986–87 onwards. The table shows the average level of total liabilities per farm and expresses this as a proportion of average total assets.

Mr. Jack

[holding answer 15 December 1993]: The number of full-time hired farm workers employed on farm holdings in the less favoured areas by county in each year since 1982 is shown in the table.

County3 1982 1983 1984 1985 41986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992
Northamptonshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Northumberland and Tyne and Wear 648 645 622 586 1,070 994 919 879 809 738 694
Nottinghamshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Oxfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Avon 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Shropshire 202 193 191 184 252 237 220 205 192 189 181
Somerset 142 134 110 103 139 117 109 104 94 81 76
Staffordshire 28 32 23 23 126 114 102 101 99 86 95
Suffolk 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Surrey 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
East Sussex 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
West Sussex 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Warwickshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Greater Manchester 15 20 21 30 31 25 19 23 36 42 32
Wiltshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
West Midlands 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
South Yorkshire 18 7 7 6 40 34 44 43 34 39 34
North Yorkshire 464 418 406 393 549 554 534 496 478 484 440
West Yorkshire 128 97 107 116 194 202 192 188 258 197 206
Humberside 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
England 2,933 2,763 2,628 2,514 4,710 4,444 4,291 4,092 3,947 3,759 3,617

Source: June census of agriculture and horticulture each year.

  1. 1. Minor holdings are excluded.
  2. 2. Workers on holdings with either all or part of their land in the less favoured areas have been included.
  3. 3. Some counties have been merged to preserve confidentiality.
  4. 4. A re-definition of the LFA occurred in 1986.