The Defra Farm Practices Survey (FPS), which provides information on how farm practices are affected by environmental issues and assesses the impact of agriculture on the environment, was released earlier today.

The survey, conducted on topics which stakeholders have deemed relevant to farming this year during a consultation period, provided a range of results which give a picture of UK farming as a whole in 2011.

Defra said this year’s survey largely focused on issues of greenhouse gas mitigation. The survey was sent to 6,000 holdings, which were targeted by farm type and size to ensure a representative sample. The survey is voluntary and the response rate was 59%. The key results are summarised below:

Nutrient management
In 2011 62% of farmers indicated that they have completed a nutrient management plan for their holding. This figure has gradually increased from 46% in 2006. Of those with a nutrient management plan, 44% refer to it at least five times in a year. Around 43% of holdings have seen a financial benefit and 30% have seen an environmental benefit of having a nutrient management plan.

Anaerobic digestion
Over 70% of holdings have heard of anaerobic digestion as a method of composting biodegradable waste. Of these, around 1% already process waste by this method and 3% plan to in the future.

Climate change adaptation
Almost half of farmers think that climate change will affect their business in the next ten years and 4% are currently seeking advice about this. Around 15% of holdings are already taking advantage of longer growing seasons, while 29% are currently adapting to the threat of pests and diseases.

Fertiliser spreaders
Approximately 83% of holdings spreading nitrogen based fertilisers on their grassland or crops own at least one fertiliser spreader; the rest use contractors. The average age of fertiliser spreaders is 8 years old.

Manure and slurry storage
Nearly half of holdings with livestock have storage facilities for solid manure on a solid base, while two thirds can store it in temporary heaps in fields. The most popular storage facility for slurry is the tank. The majority of manure and slurry stores are uncovered and the average age of stores is 15 years old.

Farm health planning and biosecurity
In 2011 71% of holdings with livestock indicated they had a farm health plan and of these, 41% routinely review and use the plan to inform disease management decisions. Over 60% of livestock farmers always follow biosecurity measures that are in place on their farm.

Grassland
Around three quarters of livestock farmers with temporary grassland have sown some or all of their temporary grassland with a clover mix. High sugar grasses have been sown on 60% of holdings with temporary grassland.

Cattle and sheep feeding regimes and breeding practices
In 2011 three quarters of cattle and sheep farmers indicated they use a ration formulation programme or nutritional advice from an expert when planning the feeding regime of their livestock. Almost a quarter of farmers with dairy cattle always use bulls with a high Profitable Lifetime Index when breeding dairy cows.

The full breakdown of results by farm type, size and region is available here.

The full FPS results release is available here.