Part-time farmers earn €6,500 a year

FOUR out of 10 farmers work part-time and earn less than €6,500 a year. The average income of full-time farmers stands at €29,000, €1,000 above the average industrial wage.

The Teagasc National Farm Survey 2003, published yesterday, shows:

40% of Ireland's 114,500 farming households are small, part-time, mostly sheep and beef farmers who earn less than €6,500 per annum.

Another 40% - mostly full-time farmers engaged in dairy and tillage farming - had an income of €29,000 last year.

Average farm incomes - including full and part-time farmers - rose by less than 1% last year - well behind inflation. It translates as €15,054 per farm, compared to €14,917 in 2002.

Only one-in-five farming households is dependent on farming for a livelihood.

10% of all farms, mostly dairy farms, reported incomes in excess of €40,000 last year, although earnings are expected to fall in 2005 as part of CAP reforms.

The highest earning farmers saw incomes rise by 5%, in contrast to beef farmers, whose incomes declined by the same amount.

Dairy farmers again proved the highest earners with an average income of €30,100 - an increase of 7% on 2002 figures.

Tillage farmers experienced the biggest revenue increase - up 22%, a reflection of bad weather in 2002, to bring their income to €26,282 per annum.

According to the survey, livestock farmers remain the poor relations, with sheep farmers' incomes up just 4% to an average €12,900 per annum. Beef farmers saw their incomes fall by 5% last year to a lowly €7,300.

The Irish Farmers' Association said income figures for 2003 were "very disappointing" as last year's fine weather had provided good conditions for farming.

IFA chief economist Con Lucey said the survey showed how farmers lagged behind other sectors in benefiting from economic growth.

"The income figures are reflecting the low prices which farmers everywhere are getting for produce," said Mr Lucey.

Many farming families have found other forms of employment to supplement their income. Half of farms see the farmer or a spouse engaged in other work - up 2% on last year.

The head of the Teagasc National Farm Survey, Liam Connolly, said the 2003 results showed the huge variation in farm incomes.

Mr Connolly claimed the differences highlighted the problems in using a single overall average figure to represent the sector.

The survey also revealed that women contribute 13% to total labour on farms.