Vol. 412 No. 6
7 Mr. Kavanagh asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if his attention has been drawn to the labour force survey April 1990 to April 1991 which shows a huge reduction in the number of persons in agriculture, from 167,000 to 155,000; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The latest labour force survey published on 30 October 1991 has shown that the number of people employed in the agricultural, forestry and fisheries sector has fallen from 167,000 in 1990 to 155,000 in 1991.
The fall in employment in agriculture reported in the preliminary survey results for 1991 is greater than the results reported in recent years. Between 1986 and 1990, employment in the sector was reported as falling from 168,000 to 167,000. However, in the four intervening years, there was a reported increase in two of the years and a reported decrease in the other two. Against that background, the fall of 12,000 in a single year is at considerable variance with recent developments and it may well be that when the final revised figure for 1991 will be published next year a somewhat different result will emerge.
It may be that figures for 1991 reflect in one year a fall which has been going on over a period, but which has not been reflected in the results of the labour force survey.
As the survey is based on a system of self classification it is also possible that a number of people still engaged in the sector have simply reclassified themselves as having another activity as a principal occupation. Thus the survey results do not necessarily mean that 12,000 farmers have ceased farming between 1990 and 1991.
Will the Minister accept that between 1987 and 1989 about 3,000 or 4,000 people annually left farming? This drop of 12,000 people means that young people are voting with their feet and leaving agriculture because of the crisis and because they can see no future in agriculture until the Government — or a future Government — guarantee long term viability of family farms and produce an integrated programme to solve the problem of low incomes in farm families. Will the Minister agree that this trend will continue and indeed accelerate unless such programmes are brought forward?
There may be a number of possible explanations. There may have been an over-estimation of numbers employed in the sector in recent years. The figures for 1991 may reflect in one year a fall which has been going on over a period but which may not necessarily have been reflected in the results. Of course, as I stated in my reply, the survey is based on a system of self classification and it may well be that certain people feel their principal occupation is different from what is was a number of years ago.
Will the Minister accept that one of the great problems is the fact that incomes, in real terms, have not increased over the last 15 years for family farms? People in agriculture, particularly those in farming, see that the big increase in EC funds from the Commmon Agricultural Policy are not going to farmers but to people engaged in activities outside farming and to guarantee the storage of a huge amount of surplus foods.
Deputy Kavanagh will readily accept that there have been very good years income-wise for the farming sector over the last number of years. While there may be a temporary difficulty at present we cannot overlook the fact that there had been very good years prior to that. We must remember that, having regard to the overall picture in the Community, the percentage of our population engaged in agriculture is one of the highest in the Community. Given our farm structure there is a certain inevitability that we may have a gradual reduction in the total number of people employed fully and directly in the industry.
