Agriculture in England is highly intensive, mechanized, and efficient. Despite employing fewer than 2% of the workforce and contributing roughly 0.5% to the national GDP, it produces a significant proportion of the country's food requirements. The agricultural landscape is divided by geography: the flatter, drier east and south are dominated by arable farming, while the wetter, hillier west and north are primarily used for pastoral farming.
Major crops include wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, sugar beet, and oilseed rape. Livestock farming focuses heavily on sheep (particularly in upland areas), dairy cattle, beef cattle, pigs, and poultry. Horticulture, including fruit (like apples and strawberries) and vegetables, is prominent in counties like Kent and Lincolnshire.
England also has a notable commercial fishing industry, with key ports in Cornwall (Newlyn), Devon, and Yorkshire, though it faces challenges regarding quotas and post-Brexit territorial waters. Forestry is present but less economically dominant than in Scotland. In recent years, there has been a significant push toward sustainable practices, organic farming, and environmental land management schemes.