The Central Statistics Office (CSO) released crop area figures from its ‘Crops and Livestock Survey June Final Results’ for 2019 on March 26. Among the data were crops sown in small areas in this country – from turnips to fodder rape to nursery stock.

While final figures from the Department of Agriculture change towards the end of the year, this survey provides a snapshot of Irish agriculture each June and the figures give an insight into areas planted.

Vegetables, fruit and nursery stock

According to the CSO, approximately 3,600ha of vegetables for sale were grown. Another 800ha were filled with fruit and 500ha of land were dedicated to nurseries and horticulture.

Approximately 800ha of turnips were planted.

Other fodder crops

Fodder rape and kale accounted for approximately 1,200ha. AgriLand understands that these crops do not include cover crops planted after a cereal crop for example, as those crops would be sown after a main crop as a cover.

‘Other crops’

26,900ha were defined as ‘other crops’ by the CSO. 80% of this area included miscanthus, fallow land and wild bird cover.

Department figures for main tillage crops

The final figures for cereals, maize, beet, potatoes, oilseed rape and protein crops grown in 2019 from the Department of Agriculture are outlined in the table below.

Crop areas for 2019 (Department of Agriculture, October 2019):
Winter wheat – 59,370ha;
Spring wheat – 3,784ha;
Winter barley – 82,410ha;
Spring barley – 96,072ha;
Winter oats – 16,593ha;
Spring oats – 7,120ha;
Rye – 463ha;
Triticale – 529ha;
Winter oilseed rape – 8,714ha;
Spring oilseed rape – 512ha;
Early potatoes – 609ha;
Maincrop potatoes – 7,435ha;
Seed potatoes – 216ha;
Beet – 9,877ha;
Maize – 16,516ha;
Peas – 639ha;
Winter beans – 822ha;
Spring beans – 6,578ha.