Irish farmers the youngest in EU

THE age structure of farmers has improved during the past decade, a Teagasc economist told a conference in Cork yesterday.
Irish farmers the youngest in EU

Teagasc National Farm Survey chief Liam Connolly said Irish farmers are now younger than their EU counterparts.

The 2000 Census of Agriculture shows that 13% of Irish farmers are under 35 years compared to an EU average of 11%. Twenty percent of them are over 65 compared to 28% for the EU as a whole.

While the proportion of Irish farmers under 35 has not changed since 1991, the number over 65 has declined from 23% to 20%.

Mr Connolly said agriculture’s contribution to the economy, at 3.5% of GDP, is twice that of the EU average. Agri-food exports account for over 8% of total foreign earnings.

While farmer numbers declined by 17% during the 1990s, they still account for 6.5% of the total workforce. When employment in the services, processing and marketing sectors is included, the agri-food industry now accounts for 10% of total employment.

Mr Connolly also told the Innovation South organised conference on diversification that projected average farm income for 2002, at just over 14,000, is similar to the 1995 figure. When inflation is considered, average farm incomes have declined by almost 20% since 1995.

Beef and sheep farmers, while accounting for 66% of all farms nationally, earned just 36% of total farm income. Dairy farmers, which make up 27% of all farms accounted for 54% of income.

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