Did you know that 64% of all the food eaten in the UK is grown or reared in the UK? This food has been produced on 71% of the UK’s land area, which is managed by farmers. Yet the farming industry employs only half a million people and contributes 0.5% to the UK’s economy. In 2021, average profits per farm were calculated at £5,600, and only 21% of UK farms made over £75,000 a year. Farming is a tough business.
Overseas imports of cheap food, fluctuating market prices, a handful of powerful supermarkets to sell to, and agricultural policies favouring larger farms have meant that farming in the UK has been in decline for decades. A fifth of English farms have been lost in the last 10 years, often sold off to add to larger farms or to property developers.
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