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Agricultural Land Use: 1982-2007
Area (thousand hectares)
Area (thousand hectares) |
| 1982 | 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|
Rough Grazing | 4,533 | 4,286 | 3,983 | 3,941 | 4,036 | 3,996 |
|---|
Grass | 1,104 | 1,130 | 1,187 | 1,235 | 1,244 | 1,235 |
|---|
Crop, fallow and set-aside | 641 | 644 | 652 | 614 | 600 | 606 |
|---|
Woodland and other | 114 | 153 | 262 | 319 | 330 | 354 |
|---|
Total land 10 | 6,392 | 6,213 | 6,083 | 6,108 | 6,210 | 6,192 |
|---|
Set-aside land 11 | - | - | 78 | 69 | 68 | 68 |
|---|
Agricultural land use has a strong influence on the landscape and environment of Scotland. In particular, changes in agricultural land use have an impact on wildlife habitats, water pollution, and emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.
Between 1982 and 2000 the total land used for agriculture in Scotland decreased by 5% to 6.1m ha followed by a rise to 6.2m ha in 2006. The area of rough grazing decreased by 0.6m ha (14%) between 1982 and 2003. After a slight rise in 2005 and 2006 it fell by 1% in 2007 to just under 4m ha. In 2007 the area of woodland and other land was more than three times the 1982 figure. 12
The amount of land set-aside fell to 75,000 ha in 2004, due to the reduction in the Arable Area Payment Scheme set-aside rate that followed the poor EU harvest of 2003. Following changes to the EU Common Agricultural Policy, revised funding arrangements were introduced in 2005, and under the Single Farm Payment Scheme the area of set-aside land was 69,000 ha. This has decreased further in 2007 to 68,000 ha.
Source: Scottish Government
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