Farmers have been requested to provide information on outdoor irrigation on their land as the Farm Structure Survey 2023 by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) is now underway.
In the eight-page questionnaire, farmers are asked about the sources used to supply water for irrigation and whether they pay for this water.
The purpose of the survey, which also includes questions on renewable energy and precision farming, is to compile statistics on the structure of all agricultural holdings as of June 1, 2023.
The data is required to meet national and EU needs for regular statistics on agricultural activity, the CSO said.
The questionnaire has been sent to a selection of holdings for completion and return by Monday, June 12. An electronic version is also available on the CSO website.
Farm Structure Survey 2023
A large section of the survey focuses on outdoor irrigation on farms in the last 12 months, including the different irrigation methods used and questions specific to crops irrigation.
The questions also focus on the average area of arable land that has been irrigated over the last three years, and an estimate of the litres of water used for irrigation in the last 12 months.
Another section of the survey focuses on farmer’s internet access and use of electronic farm management tools, farm machinery, and livestock management equipment.
Farmers are also asked whether they use precision farming equipment and whether the farm has engaged in precision farming activities in the last 12 months.
The CSO also requests information on renewable energy sources that may be present on farms, including wind, biomass, biogas, solar, and hydro energy.
The latest Farm Structure Survey in 2016 has shown that there are 137,500 farms in Ireland, including 137,100 family farms, at an average size of 32.4ha.
The total agricultural area is 4,455,800ha, the majority of which is grassland. Livestock numbers in 2016 were as follows: Poultry (11.1 million); pigs (1.6 million); sheep (5.1 million); cattle (7.2 million).