Wages drop higher than EU average

IRELAND’S 8.7% fall in 2008 was well ahead of the average EU member state’s 3.5% fall in farm wages, according to official Eurostat data released last week.

The credit crunch, falling farm produce prices, and a steep rise in production costs, knocked earnings in 19 member states, but the income per farm worker rose in eight EU nations.

Hardest hit was Denmark, where the agricultural pay packets were down by 24.7%, followed by Estonia (23%), Belgium (22.6%), Latvia (19.4%) and Poland (17.7%).