ICSA: Farm survey figures 'must be viewed in context'
The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association (ICSA) president Sean McNamara has welcomed the reported recovery in incomes across farming systems in the National Farm Survey (NFS).
However, the ICSA president believes that the figures "must be viewed in context".
He said: "An increase of 93% or 115% sounds impressive - but when you are starting from rock bottom, a big increase of very little is still very little.
“We cannot afford to get too carried away with percentage increases when the actual income figures in the beef, suckler, and sheep sectors remain far behind other sectors - and far below a decent standard of living."
"You can’t live on percentages, what matters is the actual income," McNamara added.
According to Teagasc, average family farm income rose by 87% to just under €36,000 in 2024, driven by improved output prices and some easing in input costs.
However the ICSA highlighted that suckler farmers had an average income of €13,500, while beef farmers earned around €18,000, and sheep farmers earned €28,000.
The ICSA president outlined that the survey records the incomes of families "trying to survive" in rural Ireland.
He said: "The reality is they still fall significantly behind average earnings in most other sectors of the economy. We welcome any signs of improvement, but we must not lose sight of the fact that the economic viability of these sectors is still fragile at best.
"We mustn’t forget that just 42% of farms were deemed economically viable by Teagasc in 2024, even after this so-called rebound."
"We also mustn’t forget that the rock-bottom incomes in the years leading up to 2024 have already taken a serious toll. Too many farmers were forced out in those years simply because they could not make ends meet," McNamara added.
The ICSA president questioned whether the next generation of farmers will be inspired to "follow in our footsteps".
He claims that the the incomes need to be "not just better, but consistently viable".
