One in seven jobs created in €9.25bn agri-food sector: IFA study

One in seven Irish jobs is created by the agri-food sector, with rural areas particularly dependent on the sector, an Irish Farmers Association-commissioned study has found.

The study put a value of €9.25bn on the sector.

Farmers are warning about the impact a cut in direct payments to farmers will have on the sector and on the wider economy.

Study co-author Professor Jim Phelan said that because agriculture was a low import industry, any investment in it is directly felt in the national economy.

"Every €100 of output in agriculture creates €97 of GNP and that's a very, very significant contribution," he said.