Michael D'Arcy
Ceist:56 Mr. D'Arcy asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will outline, in relation to the disadvantaged area application, the figure used as the average income of a farmer in this country.
Written Answers. - Average Farm Income.
The average was derived from the family farm income/farm worker figures for all types of farming in Ireland which were published by the EC in the FADN (Farm Accountancy Data Network) reports covering all member states for the three-year period 1983-4 to 1985-6. The amounts in each of the three years were 8,521 ecus, 7,601 ecus and 7,228 ecus respectively. The average was 7,783.3 ecus, which, when converted to punts, amounted to £5,620.
Andrew Boylan
Ceist:57 Mr. Boylan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if, in view of the recent debate in relation to average farm income in this country, he will outline the way this compares to the average industrial wage.
The national average family farm income figure is provided by the annual Teagasc national farm survey, the most recent of which relates to 1989, with preliminary figures for 1990. Family farm income is derived from the farming activity conducted on the farm. It does not take account of other income from non-farm employment or State transfers. The estimate for overall family farm income per farm for 1989 is £7,282 while the preliminary estimate for 1990 is £6,580.
The average gross earnings per week during 1989 for all industrial workers in all industries was £216.40 which is equivalent to £11,253 per annum.