DOI: 10.5255/ukda-sn-6682-4
title: Farm Business Survey, 2009-2010: Special Licence Access
title: Farm Business Survey, 1982- : Special Licence Access
title: FBS

description: &lt;p&gt;The &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Farm Business Survey&lt;/span&gt; (FBS) is conducted annually to collect business information from about 2,100 farms in England and Wales. The survey provides information on the financial position and physical and economic performance of farm businesses, to inform policy decisions on matters affecting farm businesses and to enable analysis of the impacts of policy options. It is intended to serve the needs of farmers, farming and land management interest groups, government (both national and European), government partners, and researchers. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The primary objective of survey results is to contrast the performance or other business characteristics of different groupings of farm, such as between regions or other geographical or environmental designations, farm types, farm size, age or education of farmer, etc. Up to and including the 2001/02 survey, FBS estimates were based on matching the sample between two adjacent years and farm weights. Farm weights were still calculated to present a matched sample however. From the 2002/03 survey onwards, matching between adjacent years was dropped altogether, and weights are now calculated for the full sample. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The typology used to determine the FBS farm type classification has been revised from 2009 onwards. The FBS typology is now based on standard outputs expressed in euros, with a minimum threshold of 25,000 euro (irrespective of the SLR) for FBS eligibility. Between 2009 and 2011, FBS farm type classification was based on 2007 standard output (SO) coefficients. From 2012, the farm type classification was based on 2010 SO coefficients, and from 2017 the FBS farm type classification was based on 2013 SO coefficients. The coefficients have been revised again for 2023/24 and are based on 2017 coefficients. The change in typology has had an effect on the distribution of farms by farm type and income averages. Further information regarding the change in typology is available on the GOV.UK &lt;a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/farm-business-survey-technical-notes-and-guidance#fbs-documents"&gt;FBS documents&lt;/a&gt; web page.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
The &lt;i&gt;Farm Business Survey&lt;/i&gt; is available from UKDS under Special Licence access conditions. See the' Access data' section for further details on how to apply for access to the data.&lt;br&gt;
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&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Users should note that data in Section A that record geographical grid references have been removed to protect the confidentiality of survey participants.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;The &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Farm Business Survey, 2009-2010: Special Licence Access &lt;/span&gt;study contains data based on both the Standard Output (SO) classification and the Standard Gross Margin (SGM) classification.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;This allows researchers to view the 2009/10 results based on either (or both) the SGM or SO methodologies if they wish to understand and/or quantify the break in the time series as the results either side of the break are not directly comparable.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;  &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;Further information regarding the change in typology is available on the DEFRA webpages about &lt;/font&gt;&lt;a href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130315143000/http://www.defra.gov.uk/statistics/files/defra-stats-foodfarm-farmmanage-fbs-UK_Farm_Classification.pdf" target="_blank"&gt;the UK Standard Output Farm Classification&lt;/a&gt;,&lt;font color="#000000"&gt; the&lt;a href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130315143000/http://www.defra.gov.uk/statistics/files/defra-stats-foodfarm-landuselivestock-june-results-typology.pdf" target="_blank"&gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;&lt;a href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130315143000/http://www.defra.gov.uk/statistics/files/defra-stats-foodfarm-landuselivestock-june-results-typology.pdf" target="_blank"&gt;Standard Output typology and its effect on the FBS sample&lt;/a&gt;, the &lt;a href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130315143000/http://www.defra.gov.uk/statistics/files/defra-stats-foodfarm-farmmanage-fbs-reviseclass_111221.pdf" target="_blank"&gt;Standard Output typology and its effect on income averages&lt;/a&gt; and on the webpage summarizing the &lt;a href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130315143000/http://www.defra.gov.uk/statistics/files/defra-stats-foodfarm-farmmanage-fbs-statissues_111123.pdf" target="_blank"&gt;details about s&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;&lt;a href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130315143000/http://www.defra.gov.uk/statistics/files/defra-stats-foodfarm-farmmanage-fbs-statissues_111123.pdf" target="_blank"&gt;ampling framework including weighting&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;For the fourth edition (May 2020), data files based on the SGM classification have been added to the study to address changes in methodology. The study now contains data based on both the SO classification and the SGM classification. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;