2014-04-22 - Socio Economic Review 2014 - Full text and cover - FINAL

Key farm statistics:
• Average family farm income was €25,483 in 2012, a fall of 15 per cent on the
2011 figure, but still 10 per cent ahead of the 2010 figure. This income decrease
was entirely driven by input expenditure (Teagasc, 2013). Incomes in 2012 are
the second highest on record since 2005.
• There is a wide variation of farm incomes with 19 per cent of farms producing a
family farm income of less than €5,000 in 2012 compared to 13 per cent in 2011.
• At the opposite end of the spectrum in 2012, 16 per cent of farms produced a
farm income of over €50,000 and almost 3 per cent produced an income of over
€100,000.
• The Border region has the lowest average farm income and is the most reliant
on direct payments, contributing 122 per cent of farm income.
• The number of farm households in which the farmer and/or spouse were
engaged in off-farm employment was 49.4 per cent in 2012 (Teagasc, 2013).
• Teagasc classified 33 per cent of Irish farm households (26,000) as being
‘economically vulnerable’, meaning the farm business is not economically viable
and neither the farmer nor the spouse worked outside the farm in 2012.
• Direct payments comprised 81 per cent of farm income in 2012 and averaged
€20,534 per farm.
• According to Eurostat, real agricultural income per worker in Ireland in 2012
decreased by 10.1 per cent. 99
These statistics mask the huge variation in farm income in Ireland as a whole. Only
a minority of farmers are at present generating an adequate income from farm
activity and even on these farms income lags considerably behind the national
average. An important insight into the income of Irish farmers is provided by
Teagasc in its National Farm Survey. Table 13.1 below outlines the huge variations
in farm income in Ireland in 2012, with 57 per cent of farms in Ireland having an
income €20,000 or less.
99
http://ec.europa.eu/ireland/press_office/news_of_the_day/eurostat-estimatesagricultural-income_en.htm
12. Rural Development 243