Farms in Co Kilkenny had the highest standard output in Ireland in 2020 out of all counties, at a median of €34,525, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

Meanwhile, farmers in Co Donegal had the lowest standard output of all counties, at a median of €7,316.

Median values indicated that over 50% of farms in the southeast, as well as Tipperary, had a standard output of over €25,000 in 2020.

Wexford farmers had the second-largest standard output at €31,876, followed by those in Waterford (€31,001), Tipperary (€26,701) and Carlow (€26,268).

In a trend seen across the northwest, Leitrim farmers had the second-lowest standard output value at €7,395, followed by those in Mayo (€8,683), Sligo (€9,021), Galway (€10,457) and Roscommon (€10,929).

Cavan and Monaghan farmers had median standard output of less than €11,000 in 2020.

According to the CSO, the standard output of a farm is defined as the average monetary value of its agricultural output at farm-gate prices. However, this standard output is not a measure of farm income. It does not take into account costs, direct payments, value added tax or taxes on products.

Farm-gate prices

Elsewhere, the CSO analysis also shows that Co Cork had the highest number of farms with a standard output of over €100,000 in 2020 at 3,582. These high-output farms equated to 26% of the total 13,704 farms in Cork.

In contrast, only 29 farms in Co Leitrim had a standard output of over €100,000 in 2020, less than 1% of the total 3,445.

Notably, the CSO data also shows that younger farmers across Ireland tend to have higher standard outputs.

The average age of farm owners who owned a farm with a standard output greater than €100,000 in 2020 was 51, while the average age of farm owners who owned a farm with a standard output less than €4,000 in 2020 was 60.

Gender

On gender, farms with a higher standard output tended to have a higher proportion of male owners, according to the CSO.

Of the farm owners whose farms had a standard output greater than €100,000 in 2020, 92% were male and 8% were female.

Meanwhile, when it came to the farm owners whose farms had a standard output less than €4,000 in 2020, 79% were male and 21% were female.

Overall, as farm standard output increased, the proportion of female holders decreased in 2020.

For farm standard output bands of €8,000 to €15,000, €15,000 to €25,000, €25,000 to €50,000 and €50,000 to €100,000, the proportion of female holders was 13%, 10.9%, 9.4%, and 7.7% respectively.

Farm type

The type of enterprise in operation on Irish farms also influenced standard output, with a range of values seen across farm sectors.

There were 15,319 specialist dairy farms in Ireland in 2020, according to the CSO, with a significant 12,190 or 80% of these having a standard output greater than €100,000. No specialised dairy farm had a standard output of less than €15,000 in 2020.

Overall, the average standard output for the 15,319 specialist dairy farms was €209,006 for 2020.

In contrast, there were 74,159 specialist beef farms in Ireland in 2020, with a very low 999 or 1.3% of these having a standard output greater than €100,000. The average standard output for all beef farms was €19,269 for 2020.

Read more

Nearly 6,000 fewer full-time farmers in Ireland since 2010