Farm business survey

Statistical results from the Farm Business Survey (FBS) in Wales are produced and published annually by IBERS, under the direction of Mr Tony O'Regan and on behalf of the Welsh Government. The survey incorporates financial and physical data from a representative sample of 600 farms in Wales and the results are presented as a series of tables, with introductory commentary.

Farms in the survey are classified by type and size and the results are expressed in terms of outputs, inputs and incomes; land utilisation; tenant's capital; performance indicators, such as average business size and standard man-day availability; various income measures, including net farm income; livestock numbers; and farm liabilities and assets by type of tenure. Inter-year comparisons for an identical sample of holdings participating in the FBS are also included, as are gross margins for the main enterprise types.

The results of the survey and associated special studies are intended to serve two purposes. Firstly, they provide regional, national and EU policy-makers and researchers with information on the economic conditions of different types and sizes of farms in Wales. Secondly, they provide farmers, farm advisers and others with comparative information essential for assessing the performance of individual farm units.