Pesticide use on Scottish outdoor vegetables stayed similar in 2025
The survey estimated pesticides were applied to 93% of crop area; spray area includes repeat applications.
Event / data period: 2025
Published: · Updated:
Scotland’s 2025 outdoor vegetable survey put the crop area at 22,673 hectares. It estimated pesticide formulations were applied over about 188,500 hectares, with a combined weight of about 64.9 tonnes; the relative standard errors were 6% and 7%, respectively. The report said 93% of vegetable crop area received a pesticide application.
Application area is not unique land area: it multiplies the basic area treated by the number of applications, so the same field can count more than once. Overall application was similar to the 2023 survey and higher than in 2021. These figures are survey estimates and carry sampling uncertainty.
Data
Pesticide-use estimates
Main area and weight estimates from Scotland’s 2025 outdoor vegetable survey.
| Tüm açık alan sebze ürünleri | All outdoor vegetable crops | جميع محاصيل الخضروات المكشوفة | Toutes les cultures légumières de plein champ | Todos los cultivos hortícolas al aire libre | Alle Freilandgemüsekulturen | Todas as culturas hortícolas ao ar livre | 188500 | 6 | 64.9 | 7 | 93 |
Methodology
Figures come from the official survey page and supporting workbook. Crop area is rounded to 22,673 hectares. The approximately 188,500-hectare application area sums repeated spraying and is not unique land area. The source reports relative standard errors of 6% for area and 7% for weight; these are not confidence intervals.
Updated:
- https://www.gov.scot/publications/pesticide-usage-scotland-outdoor-vegetable-crops-2025/
- https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2026/10/pesticide-usage-scotland-outdoor-vegetable-crops-2025/documents/outdoor-vegetable-crops-2025-supporting-document/outdoor-vegetable-crops-2025-supporting-document/govscot%3Adocument/outdoor-vegetable-crops-2025-supporting-document.xlsx
2025 outdoor vegetable crop area
Total area of outdoor vegetable crops covered by the Scotland survey.
| 22673 |
Methodology
The source table’s 22,672.6 hectares are rounded to a whole hectare.
Updated:
- https://www.gov.scot/publications/pesticide-usage-scotland-outdoor-vegetable-crops-2025/
- https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2026/10/pesticide-usage-scotland-outdoor-vegetable-crops-2025/documents/outdoor-vegetable-crops-2025-supporting-document/outdoor-vegetable-crops-2025-supporting-document/govscot%3Adocument/outdoor-vegetable-crops-2025-supporting-document.xlsx
Subjects and places
Subject proposals
- AgricultureSuggested
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