Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, and North East Scotland are the UK areas whose economies are most reliant on the agricultural sector, says UHY Hacker Young, the national accountancy group.

UHY Hacker Young says that the contribution of agriculture to the local economy in Lincolnshire was £623* per resident of Lincolnshire - ranking top of all UK areas. The contribution of agriculture to the UK economy as a whole averages out at £144 per person.

The agricultural contribution to the local economy for North Yorkshire and North East Scotland – who placed second and third in the UK – was £607 and £492 per person respectively.

UHY Hacker Young says that the high contribution to the local economies generated by agriculture in the East of the UK shows that it could be one of the areas most impacted by Brexit. The EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, which contributes £3bn in subsidies to UK farmers, will no longer apply to the UK once it leaves the EU. We need to understand what will replace it and fast!

The farming industry represents a significant sector of Lincolnshire’s economy. Agricultural-related businesses employ over 75,000 people in the county and is responsible for 12% of England’s food output.

North East Scotland takes in Aberdeenshire, which is home to over 1 million acres of agricultural land.

UHY Hacker Young adds that London’s agricultural output per person was just £3! Which places the capital bottom of all the areas dependent on agriculture as a direct contributor to the local economy.

Tim Maris, Partner at UHY Hacker Young, comments: “The East of the UK is the arable heartland of the country – and these figures show just how essential agriculture is to their prosperity.”

“The areas of the country most reliant on agriculture will be keeping a close on eye on Brexit negotiations as the UK prepares to leave the EU. The Government may want to do more to reassure them that the loss of support from the EU will not impact them too heavily. Any proposed replacement policy will need to include a smooth transition from the present system and place food production at the heart of its new initiative"

*Gross Value Added per capita, 2016, most recent year available