The most recent figures available from the Central Statistics Office are for the year 2005 and these show that there were 73,500 farmers whose sole occupation was farming or 56% of the total, this compares with a figure of 49,300 for 1997 (figure for 1998 is not available). Over this period the number of farmers with another either major or subsidiary occupation rose from 49,300 to 58,900.
The trend in recent years has been towards part-time farming and reflects a combination of factors including the increased availability of off-farm employment. Many small-scale producers find that combining farming with off-farm employment is an effective way to ensure their continued viability in farming. At the same time, full-time farmers are looking to the new flexibility offered to them under decoupling to develop and intensify their commercial farm enterprises.