The following table shows the percentage of farms with a Farm Business Income1 (FBI) of less than £10,000 since 2003-04. This is the preferred measure of income but is not available prior to 2003-04.
1 Farm Business Income represents the financial return to all unpaid labour (farmers and spouses, non-principal partners and directors and their spouses and family workers) and on all their capital invested in the farm business, including land and buildings.
Percentage of farms with less than £10,000 FBI 1997-98 n/a 1998-99 n/a 1999-2000 n/a 2000-01 n/a 2001-02 n/a 2002-03 n/a 2003-04 29 2004-05 36 2005-06 35 2006-07 34 2007-08 27 Source: Farm Business Survey, England.1 1 The Farm Business Survey sample covers businesses with a Standard Labour Requirement (SLR) of at least 0.5, i.e. a size considered sufficient to occupy a farmer for at least half their time.