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Publication - Statistics

Results from the Scottish Agricultural Census: June 2026

Published
8 October 2026
From
Minister for Agriculture, Marine and the Islands, +1 more … Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs
Directorate
Environment and Forestry Directorate, +1 more … Agriculture and Rural Economy Directorate
Topic
Farming and rural

Final results from the 2026 June Agricultural Census on land use, crop areas, livestock and the people working on agricultural holdings. Modular results on cattle housing, technology, feed supplements, and peatlands also included.

Part of

Supporting documents

Decrease in number of working occupiers contributes to 1.0% annual decrease in total agricultural workforce

The total agricultural workforce was 66,100 people in 2026, a decrease of 1.5% when compared with the five-year average, and a decrease of 1.0% (or 700 people) compared with the previous year. The number of working occupiers decreased by 3.0% in 2026 to 34,200, and by 6.2% when compared with the five-year average.

Figure 15: Working occupiers by working time, 2016 to 2026. Note data for 2022 were estimated based on administrative data and results in adjacent years. 

Line chart showing number of working occupiers by working time (full-time, half-time or more, and less than half-time) between 2016 and 2026. Total working occupiers have steadily decreased since 2021 from 38,300 to 34,200 in 2026. The number of working occupiers working full-time in 2026 was 10,800, half-time or more was 5,800, and less than half-time was 17,500.The total agricultural workforce includes 32,000 regular and seasonal employees working in agriculture, a group that has increased by 4.0% when compared with the five-year average. This increase has been driven by a rise in the number of working family members and business partners, particularly female family members and business partners. When compared with the previous year, the number of regular and seasonal employees increased by 1.3%, while the number of working occupiers decreased by 3.0%.

There were 8,200 casual and seasonal workers, in line with the five-year average. Due to the timing of the June Agricultural Census, it may not capture all seasonal workers in Scottish agriculture, particularly those involved in the harvest of soft fruits.

Non-EU workers accounted for 76% of the migrant labour person working days in 2026 compared with 24% for EU workers. The equivalent figures in 2025 were 70% and 30% respectively.  

Figure 16: Agricultural labour by working time, 2026 and five-year average (2021-2025). Note data for 2022 were estimated based on administrative data and results in adjacent years.

Clustered bar chart showing the change in labour between the five-year average (2021-2025) and 2026. The chart shows 15,800 regular full-time workers in 2026 compared with a 5-year average of 14,700 workers. For regular part-time workers, there was a small increase in 2026 to 8,000 compared with the 5-year average of 7,900 workers. The number of casual and seasonal workers was similar to the five-year average – both 8,200 workers.

Contact

agric.stats@gov.scot

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