Call for farmers to help shape Scotland’s future agricultural policy

Scotland’s farmers are being asked to take part in annual data gathering that will help shape policy and strengthen the future of the nation’s agricultural sector.

Every year, the Scottish Farm Business Survey (SFBS) collects vital economic data to support detailed analysis of the farming sector. This information plays a key role in helping the Scottish Government shape future agricultural policy.

In recognition of its nearly century long contribution to Scottish agriculture, SRUC was recently awarded the Queen Elizabeth Prize for the impact the SFBS has had on policy development and farming practice.

SAC Consulting leads the delivery of the survey on behalf of the Scottish Government.

Sascha Grierson, Principal Consultant at SAC Consulting, said: “The information we gather from the survey is hugely important to everyone operating in the sector. It explores trends, pressures and opportunities and helps shape the future of Scottish agriculture.

“By joining, farmers will receive detailed insights and benchmarking that is tailored to them, with benefits including being able to see a breakdown of their costs and their net worth.

“The survey is anonymous and can help farmers improve their business performance.”

The SFBS is widely recognised as the most authoritative annual financial analysis of farm businesses across the country.

Detailed environmental and economic data from 400 volunteer commercial farms across the traditionally supported sectors in Scotland is gathered by the Farm Business Survey technical team at SAC Consulting and delivered to the Scottish Government every December.

Some of the key details to emerge in the 2023-24 survey include:

• The average net worth of Scottish farms was £1.88m
• Average incomes of dairy, arable and mixed farms remain the highest across all farm types
• Average farm business income dropped compared to the record high of the previous 12 months
• Across most farm types, regular labour costs fell compared to the previous year. However, in some cases, this was offset by increases in casual labour costs.

Beginning in 1936 in response to the Great Slump economic crisis, the survey was designed to address concerns over food security.

Today, on behalf of the Scottish Government, SAC Consulting carries out the in-depth annual analysis of data from farmers across the country, including dairy, arable and livestock.

There is both short and long-term value in the survey dataset for government and for farm business volunteers. In the short term, it is a mechanism for individual businesses to give insights to government about the impact of policy change using real farm data. It also creates a national group average dataset from which all in the industry can benchmark their own performance and set direction for improvement.

Longer term, this data allows the industry to see ten-plus year trends in profitability in various farm types. It underscores the importance of the role of support for farms that potentially can deliver other forms of value to society in terms of land management and rural community, beyond economic activity.

Farmers taking part in the survey will receive:

• The Farm Business Report: This set of detailed management accounts helps farmers truly understand their business finances and allow them to track performance for up to three years
• Whole Farm Benchmarks: A business planning tool that allows farmers to compare their business with other similar businesses and track progress year on year.

Sascha added: “Taking part in the survey helps farmers better understand performance and plan for the future.

“Their participation also supports vital data collection that shapes agricultural policy and strengthens the future of Scotland’s farming sector.”

Farmers who wish to participate in this year’s survey can email ScottishFarmBusinessSurvey@sac.co.uk for more information.

Posted by SAC Consulting on 12/12/2025