Warnings of two-tier system in farming

The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has warned of a two-tier agricultural system after a report showed a gulf in earnings between those working in dairy and those in other farm sectors.

According to the Teagasc 2017 National Farm Survey, the average family farm income across 84,599 farms was €31,374 — a 32% increase on 2016.

However, that was driven to a huge extent by a dairy sector which rebounded last year from a difficult 2016. The average dairy farm income last year stood at €86,115 — multiples of that in comparison to other sectors such as cattle, sheep, and tillage.