Agriculture workforce fell 5% in 2002

Maynooth: THE proportion of the workforce employed in agriculture fell from 14% in 1991 to 5% in 2002, a period of unprecedented employment growth in Ireland.

Caroline Crowley, a Teagasc research scientist based at NUI Maynooth, outlined the trend to the Teagasc Rural Development Conference in Tullamore yesterday.

She said the 1990s were characterised by major reforms of EU farm policy and growth of almost 60% in the number of people at work.