Notes - Agri-culture: Reconnecting People, Land and Nature - page 208

have 59,000 birds in flocks of less than 1000. The picture is similar for laying
chickens, with 300 holdings having 29 million laying chickens (80 per cent of
the total), all in flocks of more than 20,000; yet 45 per cent of all holdings with
layers have 400,000 birds in flocks of less than 100 birds. On arable farms, 8300
holdings have half of all the cereal area, while 32,000 have only a tenth of the
area, all on farms of less than 20 hectares. Data are from the Department of
the Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA; formerly MAFF) annual
data, Economic and Statistics Group (www.defra.gov.uk/esg). For a good review
of the future of the pig industry, see Harrington, 2000.

Table 5.2 Concentration of Operations in the UK

Sector Large-scale operations Small-farm sector

Cereal 8300 holdings have 48% of 31,000 holdings have 9% of the

cereal area (all on farms of area (on farms of less than 20

greater than 100 hectares) hectares)

Laying chickens 300 holdings have 29 million 45% of all holdings with layers,

laying chickens (79% of the some 23,200, have 0.4 million

total), all in flocks of more birds in flocks of less than 100

than 20,000 birds

Broiler chickens 334 holdings raise 67 million 722 holdings have 59,000 birds in

broiler chickens (66% of the flocks of less than 1000 (0.1% of

total) the total)

Sheep (England 9700 holdings have 57% of 18,000 holdings have 2.2% in

and Wales) total sheep in herds of more herds of less than 100

than 1000

Beef cattle 1300 holdings with 19% of 30,000 holdings with 31% in herds

national herd in herds of of less than 30

more than 100
Pigs 52 holdings have 80,000 pigs 41,200 holdings have 170,000 pigs
(13% of total) in herds of (30% of total) in herds of less than
more than 1000 20
Dairy cattle 922 holdings have 247,000 5300 holdings have 69,000 cattle
cattle (12% of herd) in herds (35% of total) in herds of less than
of more than 200 30.
Source: MAFF, June 1999 Census data (Economic and Statistics Group,
www.defra.gov.uk/esg)

7 See Heffernan et al, 1999; Weida, 2000; Wesselink, 2001. In the dairy
industry, the greatest gains in market share in recent decades have occurred in
non-traditional milk-producing regions, such as California, Washington, Arizona
and New Mexico, which now produce a quarter of all US milk. The traditional
dairy-producing areas have suffered most - yet these tend to have smaller herd
sizes and more diversified operations that also grow most of their own food. In
Wisconsin, New York, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Michigan, 40-70 per cent