Roger T. Garland
Question:36 Mr. Garland asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will outline the number of farmers who have had to leave the land due to financial problems and debts incurred over the last ten years.
Written Answers. - Financial Difficulties of Farmers.
It is not possible to determine the basis of individual decisions to discontinue in farming.
The scheme to provide an interest subsidy to farmers in severe financial difficulty operated in the early 1980s during a particularly difficult period for farming and between 1982 and 1986 interest subsidies were made available to 6,800 farmers.
The majority of farmers in financial difficulty do not go out of business as a result of debts, due to their capacity to liquidate some of their assets to tide them over the immediate problem.