§ Mr. HayesTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimates she has made of the(a) average net value and (b) average net profit of dairy farms in the (i) 12 months to March 2002 and (ii) 12 months to March 2003. [134378]
§ Mr. BradshawResults from the Farm Business Survey published earlier this year show that the average net worth of full-time dairy farms in the year ending March 2002 to be £415,000. The average Occupiers Net Income for the same period was £22,200. The data for the year ending March 2003 will be published in March 2004.
Occupiers net income is defined as the return to the farmer and spouse for their manual and managerial labour and on all their capital invested in the business. This is the most appropriate income measure to compare with net worth.