Swing to part-time farms

FEWER than one in every six livestock farmers has more than 100 animals, according to the latest Cattle Movement Monitoring System (CMMS) statistics.

The drop in both the number of livestock herds and herd size has been attributed to a massive swing towards part-time farming in recent years, as farm incomes came under pressure and off farm employment opportunities increased.

The CMMS data shows that 1,618 livestock farmers opted out in 2004, and the number of livestock herds with more than 100 animals dropped to 16%.