Agricultural sector employment data

FOI Reference: FOI/2022/4149

You asked

I am having difficulty in finding data on employment data for the Bath and NE Somerset region, specifically employment in the agricultural sector.

Further, I am interested in land usage in the area, both in terms of general agriculture, SME agriculture and organic agriculture. I'd be curious to know the percentages of land use and the hectares as well.

We said

Thank you for your request.

Employment

The Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES) is the main source of data for employment by detailed geography and industry. BRES however, does not cover agricultural businesses. We therefore combine survey estimates with estimates from the Department for Agriculture and Rural Affairs (for England) and the devolved administrations to give a more complete picture of employment in agriculture.

The easiest way to access the data you're looking for is through the Nomis website. This website allows you to query, among other sources, BRES data by geography and industry. The attached table is the output of one such query, looking at the number of employees and people in employment in "Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing" within Bath and Northeast Somerset since 2015.

Land Use

Unfortunately, the Office for National Statistics does not hold the data to specifically answer your query. Your query is better placed with the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) who can be contacted on the following address defra.helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk. We also recommend getting in touch with the Rural Payments Agency on IRT@rpa.gsi.gov.uk who may be able to help you with your query.