The number of farmers employed off farm also increased from 28% in 2012 to 29% in 2013 according to preliminary estimates from the Teagasc National Farm Survey’s 2013 results.
The proportion of farms where either the farm holder or the spouse had off-farm employment had until 2013 declined from a peak of 59% in 2006 to a low of 50% in 2012. In 2013 the proportion with holder or spouse with an off-farm job has increased to 51.2%.
Teagasc says this may reflect the increase in employment in the wider economy recorded by the CSO QNHS.
Distribution of Family farm income
Another interesting finding of this year’s Teagasc National Farm Survey results is that there was a wide variation in farm incomes.
In 2013 approximately 23%, or 18,200 farms, produced a family farm income of less than €5,000 compared to 19% of farms in 2012. At the opposite end of the spectrum, 17% of farms produced a farm income of over €50,000 compared to 16% the previous year.
Almost 4% or 3,164 farms, produced an income of over €100,000. Thus there is an increase in the numbers of farms earning very low family farm incomes and high family farm incomes and a decline in the number of farms earning incomes between €10,000 and €50,000 per farm.
