PR - Farm Income On Full And Part-time Farms – 2005

The Teagasc National Farm Survey (NFS) is undertaken annually to determine the financial situation on Irish farms. The principal measure of the
income arising from farming activities is Family Farm Income (FFI) per farm. In addition to analysing farm income by system and size of farm, NFS data can also be analysed for Full-time and Part-time farms to determine the variation in income that occurs. In this paper the variation in FFI on Part-time and Full-time farms is analysed by system of farming. In the NFS Full-time farms are defined as those which require at least 0.75 Standard Labour Units to operate, as calculated on a Standard Man Day (SMD) basis. Farms are therefore divided into Full-time and Part-time on the basis of the estimated labour required to operate their farms as distinct from labour available, which is often in excess of that required. The total number of farms represented nationally is 111,115. Full-time farms represent the larger more commercial sector of farming and in 2005 accounted for 38% (or 42,300) of all farms represented by the NFS. Fifty five percent of Full-time farms were in the two dairying systems with 34% in the drystock systems with the remaining 11% in the Tillage systems. Of the 62% of farms which were Part-time, 88% were in the drystock systems. The average FFI on all Part-time farms in 2005 was €11,372, ranging from €16,933 on Dairy farms to €9,995 on Sheep farms. On 58% of Part-time farms either the farm holder or spouse had an off-farm job and on 94% of farms, there was another source of income – either from an off-farm job, pension or social assistance. Full-time farms are two and a half times the size (ha) of Part-time farms and represent the more commercially viable sector of farming.

Keywords: family farm income, full-time farms, part-time farms, standard labour units.