The Teagasc national farm survey (NFS) results show that suckler farmers represent the largest cohort of unmarried farmers in Ireland.

Some 62% of suckler farmers surveyed are married and this figure is relatively unchanged since 2020, when 60.5% of suckler farmers surveyed said they were married.

Some 28.5% of suckler farmers surveyed are single, 7% are widowed and 1.6% are separated.

The average suckler farmer made €10,927 last year.

Beef finishers and those selling store cattle are more likely than suckler farmers to be married, according to the survey, with 71.8% of farmers in this category stating they are married.

Some 21.6% of these farmers are single, 1.9% are widowed and 4.7% are separated.

This category accounted for the largest number of marriage separations than any other sector.

Dairy farmers

The dairy sector accounts for the most amount of married farmers in the country, with the survey finding that 85.2% of dairy farmers are married.

Some 12.2% are single, 1.6% are widowed and 0.7% are separated.

Dairying remains the most profitable sector in the country, with an average farm income of €97,350 last year.

Sheep farmers

The average sheep farmer income last year stood at €20,451.

A total of 70% of sheep farmers are married, while 22% are single, 5.8% are widowed and 1.5% are separated.

Meanwhile, some 69.3% of tillage farmers are married, 25.1% are single, 2.8% are widowed and 2.8% are separated.

The average tillage income was €58,995 last year.

Across all sectors, 72% of all farmers are married, 21.4% are single, 3.6% are widowed and 2.6% are separated.

Regional breakdown

The survey also shows that the largest number of married farmers are located in the mid-west.

Some 82% of farmers in this region are married, while just 63% of farmers in the border region are married, accounting for the region with the lowest number of married farmers in Ireland.

This survey does not include the pig, poultry or horticulture sectors.