Agriculture in England
Agriculture in England is today intensive, highly mechanised, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with only 2% of the labour force.Biofuels present new opportunities for farmers against a background of rising fears about fossil fuel prices, energy security, and climate change.Sheep, goats and cattle came in from mainland Europe, and pigs were domesticated from wild boar already living in forests.There remained a very wide variety in English agriculture, influenced by local geography; in areas where grain could not be grown, other resources were exploited instead.In the Weald, for example, agriculture centred on grazing animals on the woodland pastures, whilst in the Fens fishing and bird-hunting was supplemented by basket-making and peat-cutting.The medievalist John Munro notes that "[n]o form of manufacturing had a greater impact upon the economy and society of medieval Britain than did those industries producing cloths from various kinds of wool.The planting of legumes, commonly used as a fodder crop, protected soil fertility due to their nitrogen fixing capabilities.This created a four-crop rotation (wheat, turnips, barley and clover) which allowed fertility to be maintained with much less fallow land.[22] New agricultural practices like enclosure, mechanisation, four-field crop rotation and selective breeding enabled an unprecedented population growth, freeing up a significant percentage of the workforce, and thereby helped drive the Industrial Revolution.[23] The 18th and 19th centuries also saw the development of glasshouses, or greenhouses, initially for the protection and cultivation of exotic plants imported to Europe and North America from the tropics.
EuropeanlivestockarableCommon Agricultural Policybarleypotatoessugar beetscattleorganic farmingagricultureBiofuelsfossil fuelenergy securityclimate changeDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairsgovernment departmentEconomics of English agriculture in the Middle AgesEconomy of England in the Middle AgesMedieval English wool tradeBritish IslesMesolithicPleistoceneStaithesopen-field farming systemsNormansPlantagenetsBlack Deaththe Fensbasket-makingLincolnshireDroitwichGreat YarmouthScarboroughherringwool trademedieval EnglishmedievalistagriculturalmedievalNorfolklegumefoddersoil fertilitynitrogen fixingintensive croppingBrecklandNorwichJethro TullCharles TownsendturnipBritish Agricultural Revolutioncrop rotationIndustrial Revolutionhybridisationgrain elevatorsAnimal Welfare Act 2006Agriculture in the United KingdomEngland Rural Development ProgrammeFeeding Britain in World War IINatural EnglandEnvironment AgencyThe Countryside CodeCrown EstateBoard of Agriculture (1793–1822)Oxford Farming ConferenceThe GuardianGregg, PaulineLangdon, JohnRowland Prothero, 1st Baron ErnleThorold RogersAnthony FitzherbertCuisine of the United KingdomEconomy of the United KingdomADAS (company)Arla Foods UKBernard MatthewsFaccenda FoodsFarmcareFrontier AgricultureMüller Milk & IngredientsNFU MutualNorbrook GroupOpenfieldSaputo Dairy UKVestey HoldingsGrazing marshHedgerow removalRare Breeds Survival TrustAgricultural Land ClassificationAgriculture and Horticulture Development BoardPotato CouncilMeat and Livestock CommissionAnimal and Plant Health AgencyBritish Cattle Movement ServiceThe Country CodeScotlandDepartment of Agriculture, Environment and Rural AffairsInstitute for Animal HealthQuality Meat ScotlandRights of way in ScotlandRural Payments AgencyScottish Government Net Zero DirectoratesScottish Outdoor Access CodeSingle Payment SchemeAgricultural RevolutionBritish timber tradeCeltic fieldCommon landCorn LawsDiggersDutch barnEnclosureHaughley ExperimentHighland ClearancesHighland Potato FamineInheritance tax protestsLowland ClearancesNapier CommissionRationingRun rigRural Reconstruction AssociationScottish Agricultural RevolutionSwing RiotsVictory gardenFoot-and-mouthAgriculture in Cheshire