Suckler farmers in West on less than €8,000

Annual Family Farm Income (FFI) for suckler farms in the West and North regions of the country came in at just under €8,000, according to the Teagasc National Farm Survey for 2018.

With over half (14,000) of the country’s suckler farms located in the West and North region, the survey paints a bleak picture for the economic prospects of a sector that’s considered vital to the future of the Irish beef industry.

There are 8,500 suckler farmers in the South region and a further 3,500 in the East/Midlands area – the Farm Family Income figure for West/North stood at €7,916 for last year.

Significantly, the farm income for what are categorised as ‘cattle other farms’ – primarily finishers – was significantly higher than what the suckler farmers earned.

In the West and North, the ‘finishers’ had an annual FFI of €14,110; in the Midlands it was lower at €12,422; with the South farmers the top earners in this category on €15,883 per annum.

As regards income coming into the region, the South again won out in the ‘finishers’ category with 11,500 farmers slotting into this group as compared to 9,000 in the West and North, and 7,500 in the East and Midlands.

This is a preview only. To read the rest of this story, see this week’s Connacht Tribune

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