Michael Creed
Ceist:70 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the average farm income (a) within the disadvantaged areas, (b) outside the disadvantaged areas and (c) nationally.
Written Answers. - Farm Income.
Statistics on farm income are taken from the national farm survey, conducted by Teagasc. The most recent statistics available relate to 1988. Figures are presented for the country as a whole, for the west, the original disadvantaged areas and the east, the remainder of the country. The figures presented in the national farm survey relate to income derived from farming activity. Many farm households have income derived from other sources, including off-farm employment and from pensions, remittances, investments and so on.
The average family farm income, that is, income derived from farming activity, as presented by the 1988 national farm survey, provisional estimates are as follows:
|
£/Annum (1988) |
|
|
Nationally |
7.329 |
|
West |
4.823 |
|
East |
11.492 |
The term "family farm income" as used in the national farm survey is defined as gross output less total net expenses. It represents the total return to the family less labour, management and capital investment for the farm business.
A further information source on farm income is the household budget survey for 1987. This showed that the average weekly disposable income for a sample of farm households was £224.22, or £11,659 per annum. Of this £119.19 per week, or 53 per cent came from farming. The main other weekly sources of farm household income were employment £52.56 and State transfers £42.65. The above statistics relate to a national average. A breakdown for disadvantaged areas/non disadvantaged areas has not been published.