Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 12 May 1960

Vol. 181 No. 9

Written Answers. - Distribution of Employment in Agriculture.

20.

Mr. Desmond

asked the Taoiseach if he will give average details of the distribution of employment in agriculture, as revealed in the National Farm Survey, in the form of a reply of 2nd March, 1960, giving separate particulars for farms having (1) only family labour units and (2) family and hired labour units; and also the number of farms which had hired but not family labour expenses.

The Taoiseach

The particulars of the average man weeks per farm, derived from the records of all farms included in the National Farm Survey in either of the Survey Years 1956/57 or 1957/58, are given, under the headings requested, in the following tables:—

(a) Farm Survey 1956-57

Size Group	All Farms having only Family Labour Units	All Farms having Family and Hired Labour Units
East and Midland Region	All Regions Combined	East and Midland Region	All Regions Combined
Number of Farms	Family Labour	Number of Farms	Family Labour	Number of Farms	Family and hired labour	Number of Farms	Family and hired labour
Family	Hired	Family	Hired
		Man Weeks		Man Weeks		Man Weeks		Man Weeks
5-15acres	37	48	113	53	9	50	6	48	54	4
15-30,,	79	79	251	75	62	61	8	139	67	8
30-50,,	68	85	201	85	85	75	15	227	74	16
50-100,,	50	106	141	110	117	82	30	321	82	31
100-200,,	13	151	41	140	92	81	66	219	81	63
Over 200,,	1	—*	15	121	64	85	167	111	57	136

(b) Farm Survey 1957-58

Size Group	All Farms having only Family Labour Units	All Farms having Family and Hired Labour Units
East and Midland Region	All Regions Combined	East and Midland Region	All Regions Combined
Number of Farms	Family Labour	Number of Farms	Family Labour	Number of Farms	Family and hired labour	Number of Farms	Family and hired labour
Family	Hired	Family	Hired
		Man Weeks		Man Weeks		Man Weeks		Man Weeks
5-15acres	39	44	120	50	7	49	6	41	52	5
15-30,,	67	79	260	74	69	62	6	150	65	7
30-50,,	65	81	225	85	87	70	18	236	73	17
50-100,,	44	102	145	100	114	62	30	324	79	31
100-200,,	18	122	57	121	87	83	65	229	83	62
Over 200,,	3	—*	16	132	62	76	181	117	81	138

*Insufficient number of farms.

Following is the number of farms having hired labour only:—

East and Midland Region	All Regions Combined
Survey Year	Size Group	Number of Farms	Survey Year	Size Group	Number of Farms
1956-57	5-15 acres	1	1956-57	5-15 acres	2
	50-100,,	1		30-50,,	1
				50-100,,	1
			1957-58	30-50,,	1