asked the Taoiseach (1) the total amount of land in the State and (2) the number of farmers with (a) less than 50 acres, (b) 50-125 acres, and (c) over 125 acres, in each year for the past 12 years.
Written Answers. - Land Areas Statistics.
235.
(1) The total area of the State is 17,023,661 acres or 26,599.5 square miles.
(2) Numbers of farmers and their classification by size of holding are available only from the periodic censuses of population, the latest information being that from the 1961 and 1966 censuses. From the classifications used, it is not possible to draw a dividing line at 125 acres, the nearest available information being as follows:
|
Area of holding on which working |
Total farmers |
|
|
1961 |
1966 |
|
|
Under 50 acres |
137,541 |
127,712 |
|
50 and under 100 acres |
47,166 |
48,461 |
|
100 and under 200 acres |
19,508 |
18,759 |
|
200 acres and over |
5,359 |
4,887 |
|
Area not stated |
757 |
806 |
|
Total |
210,331 |
200,625 |