Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 May 2010
89 Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if research has been carried out into the extra costs associated with agricultural production and the impact this is having on farm incomes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22007/10]
View answerThe CSO tracks input costs in Ireland on an ongoing basis and these are reported through CSO via various publications and on their website (www.cso.ie) as well as Departmental Publications such as the Annual Review and Outlook (see "Publications" section of website: www.agriculture.gov.ie ). Farm output, input costs and margins also receive detailed examination each year at the Teagasc outlook conference which has various contributors. On the whole the expenditure on inputs declined in 2009, with the CSO reporting a 9.5% decrease in intermediate consumption. Some of the main factors contributing to this were a decrease in the price of inputs, especially for fertilisers and feeding stuffs.
