Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 28 Nov 1972

Vol. 264 No. 1

Written Answers. - Farm Employment.

179.

Mr. Tully

asked the Taoiseach if he will furnish particulars of farm employees and farm tractors at a recent date in the form of a reply of 1st February, 1968.

The Taoiseach

Estimates of the number of permanent and temporary male agricultural employees and of the number of tractors on agricultural holdings in each county in June, 1971 are given in the following table. The figures are based on sample returns covering approximately 50 per cent of the area of the country.

	Male Employees, 14 years
	of age and over, engaged
County	in farm work	Tractors
	Permanent	Temporary
	Number
Carlow	700	400	2,000
Dublin	1,800	1,000	1,900
Kildare	1,700	800	2,800
Kilkenny	1,000	600	3,700
Laoighis	700	600	3,000
Longford	200	300	1,400
Louth	600	300	1,900
Meath	2,100	900	3,800
Offaly	500	600	2,600
Westmeath	600	600	1,700
Wexford	1,800	900	5,600
Wicklow	900	400	2,200
LEINSTER	12,700	7,500	32,600
Clare	400	400	3,000
Cork	3,000	1,600	13,000
Kerry	500	700	3,900
Limerick	1,300	900	4,500
Tipperary	2,000	1,200	5,800
Waterford	900	500	2,200
MUNSTER	7,900	5,400	32,400
Galway	600	1,000	4,100
Leitrim	100	200	1,800
Mayo	300	500	2,500
Roscommon	200	400	2,400
Sligo	200	300	1,600
CONNACHT	1,500	2,500	12,500
Cavan	300	300	3,800
Donegal	600	700	4,800
Monaghan	300	400	3,800
ULSTER (part of)	1,200	1,400	12,300
TOTAL	23,300	16,800	89,900

180.

Mr. Tully

asked the Taoiseach if he will furnish details of changes in agricultural employment and farm tractors for the most recent year for which figures are available in the form of a reply of 22nd March 1966.

The Taoiseach

The particulars requested by the Deputy are as follows: Estimated changes between June, 1970, and June, 1971, in the number of males engaged in farm work and in the number of tractors on agricultural holdings. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100 units.

(+ = increase; - = decrease)

		Other Males
County	Members of Family	Permanent	Temporary	Tractors
	Change 1970-1971 (Number)
Carlow	– 100	– 100	– 100	+100
Dublin	– 100	– 100	+ 100	—
Kildare	– 200	—	—	+ 100
Kilkenny	– 100	– 200	– 200	+ 200
Laoighis	– 200	– 100	– 100	+ 200
Longford	– 200	—	—	+ 200
Louth	– 100	—	—	—
Meath	– 200	+ 100	– 100	+ 100
Offaly	– 200	—	—	+ 200
Westmeath	– 100	– 100	– 100	+ 100
Wexford	– 100	– 200	– 100	+ 100
Wicklow	– 100	– 100	– 100	—
LEINSTER	– 1,600	– 800	– 800	+ 1,100
Clare	– 300	—	– 200	+ 400
Cork	– 400	– 300	– 400	+ 700
Kerry	– 300	—	—	+ 300
Limerick	– 100	– 100	– 100	+ 400
Tipperary	– 100	– 100	– 100	+ 300
Waterford	—	– 100	– 100	+ 100
MUNSTER	– 1,200	– 700	– 800	+ 2,200
Galway	– 400	—	– 100	+ 500
Leitrim	– 100	—	—	+ 200
Mayo	– 600	—	—	+ 300
Roscommon	– 300	—	– 100	+ 300
Sligo	– 100	—	—	+ 100
CONNACHT	– 1,600	– 100	– 300	+ 1,400
Cavan	– 200	—	– 100	+ 300
Donegal	– 400	– 100	– 100	+ 300
Monaghan	– 200	—	—	+ 200
ULSTER (part of)	– 800	– 200	– 300	+ 800
TOTAL	– 5,200	– 1,800	– 2,200	+ 5,500

*The estimated changes are the differences between the figures obtained at the full enumeration carried out in 1970 and those derived from a sample enumeration covering approximately 50% of the area of the country carried out in 1971 which are subject to sampling errors. In the case of the males engaged in farm work, the differences may not reflect the true changes because experience has shown that the treatment of migratory workers and of members of family on small holdings may vary between enumerators in different years and different areas.