Land Grades

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) grade of land descriptions are as follows:

Grade 1: Land with very minor or no physical limitations to agricultural use. Yields are consistently high on these soils and cropping highly flexible since most crops can be grown including the more exacting horticultural crops.

Grade 2: Land with some minor limitations which exclude it from Grade 1. A wide range of agricultural and horticultural crops can usually be grown though there may be restrictions in the range of horticultural crops and arable root crops on some types in this grade.

Grade 3: Land with moderate limitations due to soil, relief or climate, or some combinations of these factors; the range of cropping is comparatively restricted on land of this grade.

Grade 4: Land with severe limitations due to adverse soil, relief or climate, or a combination of these. Land in this grade is generally only suitable for low output enterprises.

Grade 5: Land with very severe limitations due to adverse soil, relief or climate, or a combination of these. This land is generally under grass or rough grazing except for occasional pioneer forage crops.