Irish farmers hit again
Irish farmers hit again
IRISH farming incomes have fallen for the second consecutive year, dropping 13% in 1999, according to the countrys Central Statistical Office.
A 5% fall in the value of farm output is behind the decline, though direct aid payments also slumped 11%, in part due to advances brought forward into 1998 to deal with last winters problems.
Total farm income is put at Ir£1.6bn (£1.3bn), equivalent to Ir£10,000 (£8150) per farming family. In an attempt to put a favourable gloss on the figures, Irish agriculture minister, Jo Walsh pointed to the 21% growth in real terms from 1990 to 1998, and the fact about half the income to farming families now comes from off-farm sources..
But the Irish Farmers Association has attacked these claims. "Direct payments accounted for less than Ir£7,700 in 1998, which was a better year than 1999," said president, Tom Parlon. "The inclusion of intervention and export refunds is a gross distortion." *