Business, Agriculture
Agriculture of Great Britain. UK Agriculture Products
The agricultural sector employs a small part of the working population of England: it is approximately 2-3%. This is not so much, even less than in most highly developed countries of the world. However, while UK agriculture supplies the domestic market with more than half of the agricultural products consumed by the population of the country. In this article we will consider the peculiarities of this branch of the economy in Great Britain, as well as mention the products produced and the state that imports and exports.
Features of modern agriculture in Great Britain
Modern agriculture in the UK is considered one of the most effective in the world. The level of mechanization of farming is very high here. While fewer people work in this area, the number of products for individual items is growing.
As of 2012, Great Britain is on the 6th place among the EU countries for the production of agricultural products. The total area of agricultural land is 18.5 million hectares, that is 77% of the total area of the country.
Separate branches of specialization in the UK in agriculture produce more than the domestic market needs. In this situation, the number of employees in the industry is falling.
As for agricultural areas, their number is gradually decreasing. The land previously used for crop production is transferred to livestock.
Specialization of Agriculture in Great Britain
The natural conditions that characterize the land of Great Britain, to a greater extent contribute to the development of livestock. In the total value of agricultural products in Britain, livestock makes up three times as much as crop production.
Geographically, the agricultural branches of Britain's specialization can be divided into the western part, the livestock farming, and the southeast, in which plant growing is more developed.
Livestock raising
The largest number of farmed livestock is sheep - about 30 million units. Cattle also has a significant share - 14 million. In recent years, the number of pigs grown has increased. Today their livestock is about 8 million units.
Enterprises of agriculture are mainly engaged in the cultivation of meat and dairy cattle. The country has given the world many breeds of highly productive cattle. The meat of the breed is known: Aberdeen-Angus, Shorthorn, Gerfordshire.
British breeding stock gives a lot of income. Throughout the world, you can see the herds of rocks that were bred here. For example, the largest livestock of Herfordshire cattle is not even in Britain, but in the territory of the former Soviet Union.
Poultry farming is actively developing in the territories around the main consumption centers. Large and medium-sized cities are such centers. Poultry is grown on large, equipped with modern technology poultry farms. They also supply other poultry products.
Country of pasture
The lands of the Foggy Albion are rich in natural pastures. Therefore, Great Britain has long been called "Country of pastures", "Kingdom of pastures". Here, as if nature deliberately created wonderful conditions for cultivating a multimillion livestock.
Under pastures and haymaking used for animal husbandry, to date, three times more land than under grain crops.
The ratio of pastures to the whole area of the country increases to the north. So, in the southeast part of them very little, but most of Scotland is occupied by pasture lands. Northern Ireland is occupied by 1/5 of them, the mountainous areas of Wales - by one third.
The entire area occupied by livestock lands is approximately 12 million hectares with a total area of 24,360,000 hectares (243,600 km 2 ).
Decline of sheep breeding
Agriculture in the UK in the 20th century was still characterized by a wide spread of sheep breeding. Large flocks of sheep could be seen in every corner of the country. A long period until the 20th century England was one of the most important suppliers of sheep's wool in the world market. For all the time, about three dozen breeds of sheep were bred .
Since then, sheep breeding has begun to lose its position. Today, only 1% of all agricultural products fall on sheep wool. The remaining sheep farms work mainly for the production of lamb meat. The largest number of sheep farms is in Wales and Northern England. In the heyday of the sheep breeding in England, the sale of wool and wool products earned many. In both small settlements and cities, business flourished. Sale of sheep's wool, one might say, has become one of the foundations of the country's present wealth. This fact is preserved in the symbols. So, traditionally, the Lord Chancellor still sits on a bag full of sheep's wool.
Sheep farming has ceased to be a lucrative business, and business in the UK is almost never built on it. A lot of small and medium-sized farms are on the verge of ruin.
Crop production
The most important products of the UK crop production are wheat, rye, oats, barley. Part of the grain is imported. Used grain products for the production of cereals, cereals and the needs of livestock, that is, to feed livestock.
According to experts, the UK agriculture is ready to supply wheat and barley to the foreign market following the results of the harvest 2014.
The share of crop production in the economy of the country is low, mainly the industry is aimed at servicing livestock.
UK Agriculture Products
As we mentioned earlier, the agricultural sector manages to meet most of the needs of the UK population in its products. So, oats and barley, potatoes are grown in sufficient quantities. Enough in the country of poultry and eggs, pork, milk of its own production. Beef and veal are produced, but also imported.
Separately it is worth mentioning the products of sheep breeding. The cultivation of sheep in past centuries was of far greater significance than now.
Export and import of agricultural products
Half of the imported products are shipped to the UK from the EU countries. Delivered to the country are products such as sugar, butter, cheese, beef, bacon, veal. The next most important importers are the USA, Israel, Argentina, Egypt, the countries of Central America and South Africa.
State policy is aimed at making agricultural products competitive in the foreign market and maintaining an acceptable level of prices for goods for sale within the country. A system of measures has been developed to improve the living standards of people engaged in the agricultural sector and the productivity of the industry, as well as duties on imported products.
Summary
In the article, we examined the features of the agricultural sector of one of the most developed countries in the world - Great Britain. Today, the specialization of the country's agriculture is predominantly livestock. In general, it can be summarized that the share of livestock in the country's economy is three times more than that of crop production.
It is noteworthy that the UK agriculture covers a significant part of the needs of the British in the products of the industry. Many different products are exported, but also some products are imported.
Exports and imports of Britain (specifically agricultural products) are produced in different directions. The UK has closer economic relations with the EU countries. Recently, other areas have been actively developed. Trade in pedigree livestock is established practically with the whole world. As a supplier of sheep products, the country lost its leadership, held for several centuries, exporting mainly lamb meat.
In general, the agriculture of Great Britain today is one of the most productive in the world. At the same time, less and less population of the country works in this field.
We hope that our excursion into the agricultural world of Foggy Albion has helped you to spend time with benefit and interest.
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