Grassland and grazing
Published 13 June 2024
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2024
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In some situations, sowing temporary grassland with a clover mix or high sugar grasses can be a cost-effective method of increasing production and improving environmental protection. For example, clover’s nitrogen fixing properties (although not suitable for all soil types) can reduce the amount of nitrogen applied and improve grassland yields. High sugar grasses can help to improve the efficiency of animal production (for example, improved milk yields and faster live weight gain) which can in turn reduce GHG emissions.
Figure 1 Proportion of livestock holdings that have sown their temporary grassland with a clover mix by proportion of grassland
| Year | All sown with a clover mix | 81-99% sown with a clover mix | 61-80% sown with a clover mix | 41-60% sown with a clover mix | 21-40% sown with a clover mix | 1-20% sown with a clover mix | None sown with a clover mix | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 13% | 3% | 7% | 22% | 12% | 17% | 25% | 100% |
| 2021 | 20% | 3% | 3% | 19% | 12% | 18% | 24% | 100% |
| 2022 | 19% | 2% | 7% | 19% | 11% | 15% | 27% | 100% |
| 2023 | 26% | 3% | 5% | 12% | 8% | 21% | 26% | 100% |
| 2024 | 18% | 1% | 9% | 31% | 9% | 17% | 15% | 100% |
Notes:
-
The sum of the components may not equal 100% due to rounding.
-
In 2024, the method for validating the data was refined. This may explain variance between proportions for 2024 when comparisons are made with previous years.
In 2024, 85% of livestock holdings indicated that a proportion of their temporary grassland had been sown with a clover mix (Figure 1). Those sowing all of the temporary grassland with clover increased from 13% in 2020 to 18% in 2024, and those sowing between 41% and 60% increased from 22% in 2020 to 31% in 2024. There is less variance in the other proportions of temporary grassland sown with clover.
The most common frequency for reseeding clover in 2024 was 3 to 5 years, with 29% of holdings doing so (Figure 2), whilst 34% of holdings said they had never reseeded in 2024.
Figure 2 Proportion of livestock holdings by the frequency with which holders reseed their clover sward
| Year | 1 month but less than 12 months | 12 months but less than 24 months | 24 months but less than 36 months | 36 months but less than 60 months | 60 months but less than 120 months | 120 months or more | Never | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2% | 7% | 8% | 27% | 24% | 1% | 31% | 100% |
| 2021 | 1% | 6% | 9% | 32% | 19% | 3% | 30% | 100% |
| 2022 | 2% | 11% | 13% | 29% | 15% | 1% | 30% | 100% |
| 2023 | 0% | 7% | 11% | 24% | 22% | 1% | 34% | 100% |
| 2024 | 2% | 4% | 10% | 29% | 22% | 0% | 34% | 100% |
Notes:
- The sum of the components may not equal 100% due to rounding.
High sugar grasses were sown on 70% of livestock holdings with temporary grassland in 2024, with 4% sowing all of their temporary grassland. As with clover, the proportion of land sown with high sugar grasses varies each year (Figure 3).
Figure 3 Proportion of livestock holdings that have sown their temporary grassland with high sugar grasses by proportion of grassland
| Year | All sown with high sugar grasses | 81-99% sown with high sugar grasses | 61-80% sown with high sugar grasses | 41-60% sown with high sugar grasses | 21-40% sown with high sugar grasses | 1-20% sown with high sugar grasses | None sown with high sugar grasses | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 8% | 4% | 4% | 22% | 11% | 11% | 39% | 100% |
| 2021 | 12% | 2% | 5% | 17% | 14% | 14% | 35% | 100% |
| 2022 | 9% | 2% | 4% | 18% | 11% | 13% | 41% | 100% |
| 2023 | 16% | 3% | 5% | 13% | 7% | 15% | 41% | 100% |
| 2024 | 4% | 2% | 6% | 30% | 16% | 13% | 30% | 100% |
Notes:
-
The sum of the components may not equal 100% due to rounding.
-
In 2024, the method for validating the data was refined. This may explain variance between proportions for 2024 when comparisons are made with previous years.
Since 2020, over half of farms have consistently reseeded high sugar grasses every 5 years or more frequently. The most common frequency for reseeding swards in 2024 was 3 to 5 years, with 29% of livestock holdings never reseeding (Figure 4).
Figure 4 Proportion of livestock holdings by the frequency with which holders reseed their high sugar grass sward
| Year | 1 month but less than 12 months | 12 months but less than 24 months | 24 months but less than 36 months | 36 months but less than 60 months | 60 months but less than 120 months | 120 months or more | Never | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1% | 6% | 16% | 34% | 22% | 1% | 21% | 100% |
| 2021 | 0% | 10% | 11% | 36% | 18% | 3% | 21% | 100% |
| 2022 | 0% | 15% | 10% | 32% | 14% | 1% | 27% | 100% |
| 2023 | 0% | 10% | 16% | 28% | 20% | 1% | 24% | 100% |
| 2024 | 3% | 8% | 15% | 27% | 18% | 0% | 29% | 100% |
Notes:
- The sum of the components may not equal 100% due to rounding.
For the first time we asked farmers questions on how their reseeding was funded and the effect this had on the frequency of reseeding. In 2024, 81% of those who reseeded their clover or high sugar grasses said it was self-funded. A further 15% had funded the reseeding using the Sustainable Farming Incentive, 4% had funded the reseeding with another agri-environment scheme, the most popular being Countryside Stewardship. The remainder funded in some other way.
Of those that received funding, 50% said this had resulted in reseeding more frequently with the remaining 50% saying the funding had resulted in no change.
Land and soil management mitigation methods can help to preserve good soil structure preventing erosion and compaction, both of which can lead to GHG emissions. Mitigation methods relating to this include keeping livestock away from water courses and reducing stocking rates when conditions are excessively wet.
Figure 5 Proportion of livestock holdings taking action to reduce stocking rates when fields are excessively wet by frequency
| Year | Always | Some of the time | Never | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 76% | 22% | 2% | 100% |
| 2021 | 77% | 21% | 2% | 100% |
| 2022 | 76% | 20% | 4% | 100% |
| 2023 | 72% | 25% | 3% | 100% |
| 2024 | 74% | 23% | 3% | 100% |
Notes:
- The sum of the components may not equal 100% due to rounding.
Most livestock farmers (74%) always take action to reduce stocking rates when fields are excessively wet. This has consistently been the case since the question was first asked in 2015 and has seen no substantial change in recent years (Figure 5).
In 2024, 72% of livestock farmers routinely try to keep livestock out of water courses, this has risen steadily since 2020 (Figure 6).
Figure 6 Proportion of livestock holdings taking action to keep livestock out of water courses by frequency
| Year | Always | Some of the time | Never | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 62% | 28% | 9% | 100% |
| 2021 | 63% | 25% | 12% | 100% |
| 2022 | 67% | 26% | 7% | 100% |
| 2023 | 69% | 22% | 9% | 100% |
| 2024 | 72% | 20% | 8% | 100% |
Notes:
- The sum of the components may not equal 100% due to rounding.