Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 15 Feb 1994

Vol. 438 No. 7

Written Answers. - Farmers' Income.

Trevor Sargent

Question:

215 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry, when calculating the breakdown of farmers' income, the way in which the components are calculated by his Department, the Central Statistics Office and any other relevant authority.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry (Mr. J. Walsh)

Farmers' income is estimated by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and by Teagasc. My Department does not publish official estimates of farmers' income.

The Central Statistics Office estimates aggregate income for the overall farm sector. These estimates are used in drawing up the national accounts, including estimates of national income. The CSO draws on a variety of sources in making its estimate of aggregate farm income, including information from my Department. A preliminary estimate for aggregate farm income is published in early December of the year in question. This is followed by a second estimate, published in the following January or February and a final estimate about July.

Teagasc carries out a National Farm Survey (NFS) on an annual basis. The survey is based on a sample of about 1,400 farms which is chosen in association with the CSO to be representative of the different categories of farm and enterprises within Irish agriculture. Information is collected on output, costs, incomes and performance on Irish farms. The survey does not collect information on the level of off-farm income earned by farmers.

The two data sources provide different, but complementary information about income and cost developments in the farming sector. The CSO produces estimates of aggregate income for the sector, while the Teagasc survey provides information on different farming systems and farm size categories.

In addition to the above data sources, the CSO conducts a household budget survey (HBS) every seven years. The next such survey is to be conducted this year. The accounts provided by participating households are used by the CSO to estimate households' disposable income and a broad regional analysis is conducted. Farm households are included in the survey in proportion to their representation in the total number of households. The results of the survey in relation to the participating farm households include information both on the farm and the off-farm income sources (e.g. State transfers), of the household.