Agriculture, forestry and fishing

There's a huge range of agricultural and environmental jobs within nature and land. These roles are vital to our production of sustainable food whilst we tackle greenhouse gas emissions.

What impact could you make?

Contribute to the environment and **make our planet greener**.

Make a difference to the country's **sustainable food** production.

Support an agriculture or land-based business by working as a **contractor or employee**.

The variety of it all is what makes this job so interesting. No two days are the same and I think that's the biggest pro about working on a fish farm.John MacPhersonFish farm manager, Mowi Scotland

Agriculture, forestry and fishing at a glance

Discover the range of opportunities within agriculture, forestry and fishing. Get ready to tackle issues facing the sector, such as sustainably feeding the population. The industry is part of food and drink primary production.

Employment

As of 2025, there are 29,800 people working within food and drink production.

Future demand

Between 2025 and 2028, it's expected there will be 7, 300 people needed to fill job openings in Scotland.

Job diversity

There are lots of unique opportunities beyond just farms, fisheries and forests! You could carry out experiments on plants in a laboratory, check food hygiene and quality in a warehouse or get hands-on with machinery in a workshop.

Source: Food and Drink Primary Production Sectoral Skills Assessment 2025

Play a part in feeding the nation

We’ve pulled out some agriculture, forestry, fishing and aquaculture job profiles for you to explore.

Things you may not know about agriculture, forestry and fishing

Technology plays a big part in agriculture and farming. Now, most vehicles have computer displays to support precision farming and increase productivity as they aim to find a sustainable approach.

Source: ScienceDirect

Forestry contributes £1.1 billion per year to the Scottish economy and supports more than 34,000 jobs!

Source: Scottish Forestry

The industry can be your passport to an international career. There are opportunities to travel for harvest work all over the world!