Some 91% of farmers believe that the public perception of farming is a challenge that needs to be addressed.

And while 91% of farmers hold that view, 61% of them "strongly agree" that this is the case.

That's according to a major new national survey, one of the most comprehensive ever carried out of Irish farmers, with around 2,300 respondents across all sectors, of all ages and right across the state.

The findings of the survey – conducted by leading Irish research agency Opinions, and commissioned by Agriland and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) - show that, of farmers who answered this questions, 61% "strongly agree" with this view.

Meanwhile, 94% of farmers said the public does not understand modern farming and the challenges farmers face, with 70% of respondents strongly agreeing with that opinion.

93% of farmers said consumers do not sufficiently understand how food is produced, with 65% of farmers strongly agreeing with the view.

The same overall proportion of farmers (93%) agreed that policymaking in government departments is being "overly influenced" by non-government organisations (NGOs) and civil society groups.

66% of farmers strongly agree that this is the case.

The proportion of farmers who feel the public primarily blames farmers for environmental challenges in Ireland was not quite as high compared to these other issues, but was still a stark figure: 88% of respondents believe this is the case.

53% of farmers strongly agree with that view.

When asked if they believe the public understand the reasons behind high food prices, 60% of farmers said this was not the case, with 31% of respondents saying they strongly disagreed that the public understood the reasons for high food prices.

On a sectoral basis, dairy farmers seem to have a generally more pessimistic view of the public's perception of farming.

Among the 70% of respondents who strongly agree with the view that the public does not understand modern farming and the challenges farmers face, 76% of dairy farmers were in that category, the highest proportion for any sector.

Of the 53% of farmers who strongly agree that the public primarily blames farmers for environmental challenges in Ireland, 58% of dairy farmers share that opinion.

Outside of these two questions, 70% of tillage farmers strongly agree that consumers do not sufficiently understand how food is produced.

For those who strongly agree that policymaking it too heavily influenced by NGOs, 70% of dairy farmers hold that view.