Farm support still central
A report noted that farm business incomes in Scotland remain underpinned by support despite some headline improvements, underlining the structural fragility of farm revenues. The piece framed support payments as a persistent element of farm viability. (thescottishfarmer.co.uk)
Scottish farm incomes rose in 2024-25, but support payments still supplied most of the average farm’s profit in Scotland. (gov.scot) The Scottish Government said average farm business income reached £58,800 in 2024-25, up 30% from £45,400 a year earlier after inflation. The figures were published on 26 March 2026 and are based on the Scottish Farm Business Survey. (gov.scot) That headline improvement sat on top of £45,600 in support payments and grants, plus £4,600 from contract farming and £8,100 from diversified activity such as non-farm business income. The average farm made just £500 from agricultural activity itself. (gov.scot) The survey covers about 400 commercial-sized farms and excludes smaller part-time units and sectors such as pigs, poultry and horticulture that do not receive support in the same way. Farm business income is the Scottish Government’s main measure of farm profit. (gov.scot; fas.scot) The government said 41% of farms were profitable without support payments in 2024-25, up 12 percentage points on the year before. That still means most farms in the survey would not have made a profit without public support. (gov.scot) Reliance was heaviest in rougher livestock areas. The government said support payments are a key source of revenue for Less Favoured Area farms, and only 7% of Less Favoured Area sheep farms were profitable without support in 2024-25, up from 0% in 2023-24. (gov.scot) The backdrop was a sharp drop the year before. Revised official figures show average farm business income fell to £35,500 in 2023-24, down 40% from 2022-23, after an earlier publication overstated the decline. (gov.scot) The National Farmers Union Scotland said the new figures show “a partial recovery” after that downturn, but not stability across the sector. President Andrew Connon said the numbers still show farms and crofts operating under pressure. (nfus.org.uk; thescottishfarmer.co.uk) The Scottish Farmer, citing the same official data, said the latest results show support “still underpins” business incomes despite the rebound in the average figure. The government’s own breakdown shows why: most of the average farm’s profit in 2024-25 still came from support rather than from selling farm output. (thescottishfarmer.co.uk; gov.scot)
