Vol. 559 No. 2
76 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the future prospects for the agricultural sector, with particular reference to the likely future income for farmers with medium to small acreage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25910/02]
The national farm survey results produced by Teagasc show that medium and small farms are mainly found in the drystock systems. The results show for farms less than 20 hectares on the cattle rearing systems 47% of holders or spouses had an off-farm job and 35% on the other cattle systems.
The 1999-2000 household budget survey produced by the CSO also presents detailed results by farm size. This shows less variation than might be expected, particularly when household size is taken into account. The results found for farms with less than 12 hectares have an average income per adult equivalent of €9,390, while farms with over 40 hectares have an average income per adult equivalent of €13,686.
In many cases the greater portion of their income now comes from off-farm sources. It is likely that part-time farming will become a much larger feature of Irish agriculture in the future as it offers a realistic route to household viability for small farmers in the current economic environment.
