Economy

Agriculture

Shetland's 2024 agricultural census recorded:

  • 4,353 cattle
  • 289,643 sheep
  • 3,473 poultry
  • 979 horses and ponies
  • 1,938 people working in Shetland’s agriculture
  • 140,666 hectares of land used for agricultural purposes

During 2023 there was:

  • 77,291 animals sold through the Shetland auction ring
  • With the exception of pigs, far more livestock exported than imported
  • 301,129kg of wool and 1,222,428 litres of milk produced
  • 1 registered slaughter house, which slaughtered 3,643 sheep, 306 cattle and 206 pigs
  • 4 Food Standards Agency approved meat and animal produce establishments in Shetland
  • £10,665,532 paid out in assistance to Shetland agricultural holdings through the Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Division (SGRPID)