The average family farm income on Irish dairy farms was €153,319 in 2025, up 41% on the previous year, according to new data.

The Teagasc National Farm Survey (NFS), published today (Monday, July 6), shows that the national average farm income stood at €53,842 last year, up 49% on the 2024 figure.

There were 15,131 dairy farms represented in the survey, with an average farm size of 69ha.

According to Teagasc, the increase in dairy incomes in 2025 was driven by a 4.8% rise in milk production and an overall year-on-year increase in milk price, despite a fall in prices in the latter part of the year.

The survey findings reveal that the average dairy farm income was €2,215/ha, based on an average farm size of 69ha. This is up from €1,556/ha in 2024.

The survey shows that the gap between average milk price and the cost of production widened in 2025.

The average milk price reported was 54c/L, while the average cost of production was 36c/L.

However, Teagasc emphasised that "many farms will operate away from the average in terms of these metrics".

On a per hectare basis, average milk production increased by 3% year-on-year to 11,494 litres.

Dairy

The proportion of dairy farms reporting an average family farm above €100,000 in 2025 was up 19 percentage points year-on-year, reaching 65% of the dairy farm population.

At the other end of the scale, the proportion of dairy farms with an income below €30,000 declined from 12 to 8% in 2025.

Last year, 5% of dairy farms reported an average incomeof between €30,000 and €50,000, with a further 6% earning between €50,000 and €70,000 and 14% reporting an average of between €70,000 and €100,000.

In 2025, approximately 45% of dairy farms were in the 50 to 100ha size category, with 26% in the 30 to 50ha bracket.

Smaller farms represented 12% of the dairy farm population, with the remaining 17% over 100ha.

The average dairy herd in 2025 stood at 97 cows, while average stocking rate dropped by 136 livestock units (LU) per hectare.

The average support payments on dairy farms was €361/ha, of which Pillar I payments under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) were €245/ha (based on average farm size of 69ha).

Support payments accounted for 16% of the average dairy family farm income in 2025, down from 22% in the previous year.

Costs

The survey shows that total production costs remained "relatively stable", increasing by 1% on the average dairy farm from 2024 levels, but at an overall elevated level.

On the average dairy farm, with a herd size of 97 cows and a utilised agricultural area (UAA) of 69ha, concentrate expenditure typically totalled €60,868 in 2025, down 2% on 2024.

Feed volumes averaged 1,346 kg per dairy cow in 2025; a decrease compared to 2024.

Teagasc acknowledged that the feed use per cow on individual farms may differ considerably from the average level

Average fertiliser expenditure increased by 11% in 2025 to €19,687 due to rising prices. The volume of fertiliser use remained relatively stable in 2025 compared to the previous year.

Overhead costs increased by 2% on the average dairy farm in 2025, driven by machinery operating costs (up 4% to €14,181) and land rental (up 9% to €13,049).

Almost 8 in 10 dairy farmers are renting in some land, a proportion that has stabilised in recent years

The average farm size for dairy farms renting land was 74ha in 2025.

The average land rental price in 2025 was €615/ha for dairy farms and €510/ha for tillage farms.