Scottish farm business income: annual estimates 2019-2020

Farm business income decreases

The Scottish Government collects financial data from 400 to 500 farm businesses that helps us to estimate the incomes across the industry. We call this Farm Business Income (FBI). Information on the types of farms included is available on our website.

Average Farm Business Income - £25,800

Farm income has decreased in the past year. Average income is estimated at £25,800, a 36 per cent decrease from the previous year.

The cost of raw materials to farms increased while the value of outputs decreased. Income from support payments and diversified activities also decreased. This combination of increased costs and decreased revenues led to the decrease in average Farm Business Income in 2019-20 to its second lowest value over the last eight years.

Support payments play an important role in farm income. The average business made a loss of around £17,100 without additional support in 2019-20.