Crop areas of wheat, other arable crops and set-aside which was introduced into the UK in 1993.

The production volume of cereals has continued its long term trend downwards as arable land has moved to other uses.

The production area of vegetables has recently stabilised but the UK falls well short of self-sufficiency in vegetable crops.

The fruit production area continues to decline with self sufficiency in all fruit at little more than 10%.

The area of leys has remained relatively stable but rough grazing has declined slowly as it has become improved, becoming reclassified as permanent pasture.

The growth of environmental schemes is fuelled by their financial attractiveness relative to production.

Total fertiliser usage continues to decline despite the widespread assumption that agriculture is continuing to intensify.

With prices in the £60s and £70s per tonne, most arable farms lost money during the early part of the milennium. Price rises in 2007 and 2008 reflect worldwide shortages of wheat and other commodities in that period.

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