Will you help shape farm policy?
Defra’s Farm Business Survey (FBS) has been running for over 80 years. It provides data to government, which helps inform and evaluate policy. The evidence provided by you to FBS brings changes that help support the industry.
Real-world data brings real-world solutions –
but we need your help to gather it
If you have any questions about the Farm Business Survey, please call us on 01270 616800 or email farmbusinesssurvey@genusplc.com and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
What is the Farm Business Survey?
The FBS is a fully anonymised national study on the financial position and performance of farmers and growers in England commissioned by DEFRA.
Since 1936, the FBS has been the primary source of farm financial data in England. It provides unbiased information, which enables government to monitor economic trends and informs agricultural policy-making decisions. FBS also produces aggregated farm data, which is used in advisory work, teaching and research. It also provides the information for publications, including the John Nix Pocket Book.
The data is collected by Promar International with no commercial interest; data is used solely for the purpose of the FBS. It is FREE for you to take part and is entirely confidential; any published data is aggregated for a group of farms and your farm’s report is only available to you.
The key benefits of taking part in FBS
We will provide you with free, independently analysed, management accounts for your business, including:
- Detailed profit and loss account
- Detailed balance sheet
- Gross margins for the main enterprises on your farm
- Regional report, benchmarking your business performance
- Potentially early feedback regarding your financial position for 2023, depending on when you can provide the information
- FREE Xero subscription for as long as you take part in the FBS
What does taking part in FBS involve?
- A Research Officer will visit you once or twice per year if required
- Each visit will take a maximum of 2 hours per visit – depending on the data provided and the complexity of the business
- Access to your farm business accounts will be treated with the strictest confidence
- No extra bookkeeping is required