Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 28 Jun 2000

Vol. 522 No. 3

Written Answers. - Farmer Statistics.

Ulick Burke

Ceist:

91 Mr. U. Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if he will indicate, from statistics available to him from the CSO and Téagasc, the number of full-time farmers in County Galway in each of the years 1999, 1996, 1993 and 1990; the number of part-time farmers for the same years; his views and plans for the future for farming in County Galway having regard to the above statistics; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18697/00]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (Mr. Walsh):

CSO figures showing the number of full and part-time farmers in County Galway for the most recent years available are presented in the following table:

Year	Full-timefarmers	Part-timefarmers	Total farmers
1991	11,900	4,300	16,200
1993	9,700	5,300	15,000
1995	9,100	5,200	14,300
1997	8,800	5,000	13,900

Source: CSO

The trend in recent years for the country as a whole has been for a decline in the total number of farms, mainly driven by a decrease in the number of very small farms. At the same time part-time farming has increased considerably. These trends are likely to be reflected in County Galway.

The Government is fully committed to helping as many farmers and their families as possible to achieve viability and stay on the land, whether they do this through full or part-time farming. It will be vital to maintain and develop the maximum number of highly competitive full-time farmers, as these farmers are the backbone of the industry. Part-time farming, however, offers an opportunity to a considerable number of families with small farms to achieve a viable household income. The Government's rural development policies aim to ensure people in rural areas will have the widest possible choice of attractive job opportunities available locally.