SIC 01–03 · 10–11

Farms, forestry and food and drink producers in the UK

Arable, livestock and dairy farms, growers and nurseries, agricultural contractors, forestry and fishing businesses, and food and drink manufacturers from bakeries and abattoirs to breweries, distilleries and cider makers: for machinery dealers, feed merchants, packaging and labelling firms and service providers who want to reach this group by post.

Our UK dataset holds 2,676,396 records (as at 4 November 2026); they are not yet assigned to industries. The quote states the size available for this industry.

Export of the whole industry: £349 (full price). Selections by nation, postcode area or your own filters are quoted on request.

Official statistics: 152,520 businesses in the UK according to ONS, UK business: activity, size and location 2026 (enterprises in March 2026, published 24 September 2026). Section A agriculture, forestry and fishing (140,435) plus divisions 10 food products (9,485) and 11 beverages (2,600). Farms are only counted if they are registered for VAT or PAYE. This is the size of the market, not the size of our dataset.

What counts as Agriculture and food production

The industry links two parts that the statistics keep apart: agriculture, forestry and fishing (section A of UK SIC 2007) and the manufacture of food products and beverages (divisions 10 and 11, in manufacturing).

Farms differ from most other businesses on this site. A farm run by a sole trader or a family partnership is not on the Companies House register, so the export has no company number for it, and where the farm has no website the postal address is the most reliable contact channel.

UK SIC 2007Official titleFor your selection
01Crop and animal production, hunting and related service activitiesarable, livestock and mixed farms, dairy cattle (01.41), grapes (01.21), agricultural contractors (01.61)
02Forestry and loggingforestry and support services to forestry
03Fishing and aquaculturesea fishing, fish and shellfish farming
10Manufacture of food productsmeat processing (10.11), dairies (10.51), bakeries (10.71)
11Manufacture of beveragesdistilleries (11.01), cider (11.03), breweries (11.05), soft drinks (11.07)

Food establishments are approved and registered; farms are found differently

For food and drink manufacturers there are official lists and registrations. For farms, the Companies House register only covers those run as companies.

Approved establishments
Wholesale food businesses supplying food of animal origin need approval under Regulation 853/2004. The FSA’s lists cover England and Wales and Northern Ireland, and Food Standards Scotland keeps its own. The FSA approves slaughterhouses and cutting plants; local authorities approve meat product, fish, dairy and egg establishments.
Food business registration
Anyone who sells, cooks, stores, handles, prepares or distributes food, from a bakery to a brewery, may count as a food business and must register with the local authority before trading, each site separately.
Companies House
Food and drink manufacturers run as limited companies are on the register with the SIC codes they chose themselves; the free snapshot has no phone numbers, emails or websites. A farm run by a sole trader or an ordinary partnership is not on it.

Not in the export

  • farm size, crops and livestock numbers
  • organic or farm assurance certification
  • subsidy and payment data
  • approval numbers and hygiene ratings
  • private phone numbers of farmers

These 15 columns are included.

Farm or factory: two very different target groups

A vineyard with its own winery or a farm with its own cider press can be in division 01 or in division 11, depending on its focus. If you want producers of a drink, ask for both the growing and the manufacturing codes.

PECR treats a farm partnership in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and a sole-trader farmer as individuals: marketing emails need consent or a soft opt-in (reg. 22(3)). A partnership in Scotland, by contrast, is a corporate subscriber (reg. 2), as are food manufacturers trading as limited companies.

For a postal mailing to a farmer, the Art. 14 UK GDPR information and the right to object apply. Sales calls to farms and food firms are allowed only to numbers that are not on the TPS or Corporate TPS register and whose subscribers have not objected; screen before you call.

Example request

Example request: we sell labelling machines and are looking for food and drink manufacturers in divisions 10 and 11 in Scotland and the North East, plus vineyards (01.21) with their own website in the South East, for a postal mailing with a trade show invitation. How many records is that?

Use cases

Who uses lists like this

Machinery dealers and feed merchants

Farms in a postcode area for field sales planning.

Packaging and labelling

Food and drink manufacturers for a postal mailing.

Food retailers and wholesalers

Regional producers as suppliers for own-label ranges.

Advisers and rural bodies

Overview of producers in a region for events and analysis.

Questions

Agriculture and food production: frequently asked questions

Farms are found through the same sources as other businesses: their own listing or website and, for companies, Companies House. Holdings without any public business listing are not included, so the export is not a census of farms. The ONS figure shown on this page counts businesses registered for VAT and/or PAYE, not our records.

Yes, where a UK SIC code is available: 10.71 for bread, fresh pastry goods and cakes, 11.05 for beer, 11.01 for spirits. The quote states whether the assignment in the source is good enough for your selection.

Post is not covered by PECR. A farmer trading as a sole trader is an individual, though, so UK GDPR applies: give the Art. 14 information and respect the right to object. Details: PECR rules for B2B email and calls.

152,520 businesses in the UK according to ONS, UK business: activity, size and location 2026 (enterprises in March 2026, published 24 September 2026). Section A agriculture, forestry and fishing (140,435) plus divisions 10 food products (9,485) and 11 beverages (2,600). Farms are only counted if they are registered for VAT or PAYE. This is a figure from official statistics, not the size of our dataset.

Format, sources, price and marketing law (PECR, TPS screening): questions about all industries.

Farming or food production, and where?