asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries the estimated gross profit margins per acre under the following headings at the latest available date: (a) early fat lambs; (b) sheep; (c) cattle; (d) cows and (e) mixed.
Written Answers. - Farm Profit Margins.
83.
There are no official statistics of gross profit margins per acre. However, An Foras Talúntais have carried out a number of farm management surveys on which they have published reports and these contain gross margin figures per acre for a number of farming systems or enterprises. The latest of these reports, the Farm Management Survey 1967-68, which was published last year, includes the following gross margin figures:—
|
System or enterprise |
Gross Margin £ per acre |
|
Early fat lambs |
22.9 |
|
Sheep |
12.8 |
|
Cattle |
11.0 |
|
Cows—All Creamery Milk Systems |
28.3 |
|
—Liquid Milk System |
36.7 |
The report does not include a gross margin figure for mixed farms.
The figures quoted, which are based on returns from a small number of farms, relate to the year 1967-68. Present day figures could be expected to be substantially higher, especially for cattle.