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Herd of cattle grazing on Dartmoor. iStock.com/savoilic

South West

The South West has almost 25% of the UK's agricultural holdings and more sheep, dairy, and beef cattle than any other region, plus more than 494,000 hectares of arable land.

Place

The South West is one of the more exposed regions in England, with some of the country’s highest average wind speeds on its extensive coastline and rolling hills.

Production

Sheep are generally farmed in hilly areas and 20% of England’s sheep are in the South West. Similarly, the warm, wet climate and gentler rolling hills of the region make it more suitable for dairy farming. A huge 38% of England’s dairy herd is farmed here.

People

The South West is home to 25,880 farm holdings, which is 10,000 more than any of other region in England. Consequently, it also employs the most farm workers of any region in the UK, an impressive 65,988 people.

Editorial statistics sourced from Defra's current data set.
Data for workforce proportions taken from TIAH's own labour market information research.

Farming and growing employers and recruiters in this region

The employers and recruiters below hire for farming and growing roles in this region. You can suggest businesses to add to this list by clicking the button under the logos.