Volume 9: Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Part 1: Wales
2.
Setting the scene
Cattle farming
2.1 During the period covered by this Report, almost 80 per cent of the land surface in Wales was in agricultural use. Since much of Wales is hilly or mountainous, around four-fifths of this land fell within 'Less Favoured Areas'. These areas were designated as such by the European Union (EU) 1 because their soil, climate or physical features were not particularly favourable to agriculture. Financial assistance from Government was available to farmers operating there. Conditions in Wales meant that the agricultural industry was based on grassland systems such as sheep and cattle farming, with dairy products and beef each accounting for about a third of gross agricultural product in 1992, and sheep 24 per cent. 2 By 1995, however, sheep and lamb production was the largest livestock sector in Wales. 3 As in England, there were more dairy cattle than beef cattle between 1986 and 1996. In Wales, dairy cattle represented 11 per cent of the UK herd and beef cattle 13 per cent. Individual herd size remained lower than the UK average throughout the period. 4
1 The European Union (EU) came into existence on 1 November 1993 as a result of the Maastricht Treaty. It incorporated but did not replace the European Community. Throughout the volumes of this Report, the term EU is generally used for consistency's sake (even if sometimes chronologically incorrect), except where specific reference is made to the functions conferred by the European Community Treaty or to its legal effect
2 The Government Expenditure Plans 1992-3 to 1994-5: A Report by the Welsh Office, London, HMSO, 1992, pp. 13-14
3 M11 tab 2 p. 50
4 MLC, Yearbook 1987, Milton Keynes, 1987, p. 6; M44 tab 4 p. 6
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