Interviews With Food System Actors in Upland Areas of Scotland and England, 2018-2022

Bruce, Ann (2024). Interviews With Food System Actors in Upland Areas of Scotland and England, 2018-2022. [Data Collection]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Service. 10.5255/UKDA-SN-857256

This proposal will examine how beef cattle and sheep farmers in upland areas of Northern England and Scotland can improve their resilience to environmental, economic, and social change, and what impact their actions to improve resilience will have on food supplies, natural resources and society.
Uplands make up 70% of Scotland, 60% of Wales, 40% of Northern Ireland and 15% of England. Hence over the UK as a whole uplands are a substantial element of the agricultural land resource. The upland regions of Scotland and Northern England have been historically dominated by grazing beef cattle and sheep. Beef cattle and sheep are important to local livelihoods as well as the national food supply and economy. Scotland, for example, has around 2.6 million ewes, 12,700 agricultural holdings, providing the economy with an annual return of £189 million. The UK is a world player when it comes to producing sheep meat. It is the sixth biggest producer globally and exports 36% of output to more than 100 countries.
In addition, the UK uplands as a whole - including agricultural land - have a substantial role to play in addressing many wider environmental issues (e.g. flood prevention; biodiversity enhancement; carbon sequestration in upland moorlands, peatlands and forests). Reduced numbers of animals grazing can have positive impacts on biodiversity, but there are equally concerns that reduced grazing can have negative impacts on open habitats in upland landscapes.
Farming and other land uses in the uplands is extremely challenging, currently financially unviable, and needing to respond to the challenges such as climate change, livestock diseases and changing demands from society.
In this project we will study four upland case study areas in-depth, and work with the people living there, and with organisations working in those areas to understand better what are the critical factors that influence beef cattle and sheep farmers' resilience to change, and what impact changes in beef cattle and sheep farming can have on food supplies locally and globally, the upland environment, local employment opportunities, and local cultures. These four case study areas are Orkney, the Isle of Skye & Uist, Scottish borders and Yorkshire Dales.

Data description (abstract)

Interviews were conducted with farmers and crofters in 4 case study areas (identified as A-D). Additional interviews were conducted with food system actors such as retailers, butchers, regulators, advisors, environmental organisations. Interviews related to questions of resilience of the upland beef cattle and sheep production. Consents to deposit data were obtained from 4/13 interviews in case study A, 8/19 in case study B, 1/10 in case study C and 9/20 in other food system actors. Interviews referred to particular 'informative cards'items from which are often referred to by number.

Data creators: