By: Simon Brooke :: 20 April 2013
I posted yesterday about the exponential land tax, and that's raised some questions about how it would affect ordinary farms. So as background data, here is some information about the average size of holdings.
| Territory | Average holding size (Ha) | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| USA | 181 | US Department of Agriculture | Quoted as 449 acres |
| Czech Republic | 152.4 | European Commission | |
| Scotland | 101 | Scottish Government | 2010 data |
| UK | 70.8 | European Commission | 2007 data |
| Denmark | 62.9 | European Commission | |
| Germany | 55.8 | European Commission | |
| Sweden | 43.1 | European Commission | |
| Netherlands | 25.9 | European Commission | |
| Norway | 21.6 | European Commission | |
| Italy | 7.9 | European Commission | |
This broadly confirms my belief that the average size of holdings in Scotland is unusually large. My broader argument, of course, is that it is pathologically large, but this post is about data, not argument, so I won't expand on that here. The only country in the EU which currently has an average holding size larger than Scotland's is the Czech Republic, at 152.4 hectares (2010 figures, source European Commission). It's worth noting, however, that across the EU as a whole, the trend in holding size is upwards, and this is particularly true in eastern Europe; the average Czech holding size has doubled in the decade 2000-2010.
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