Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 123: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food her views on the further significant decline in the number of farms reported in the recent Farm Structure Survey published by the Central Statistics Office; her plans to reverse this decline; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21783/07]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Last month the CSO published its Farm Structures Survey results for 2003 and 2005. The report shows that over that period farm numbers declined at a rate of approximately 1% per annum to 132,700 farms in 2005, which is slightly lower that the overall rate of decline since 1991. The reduction in farm numbers is part of an on-going trend, which is common throughout Europe, and indeed the rate of decline is lower in Ireland than in many other EU member states.

Such consolidation of farms allows for a greater level of efficiency and scale on both full and part-time farms. In addition farmers are supported strongly by the Government with very significant EU and national resources devoted to supporting farm incomes, encouraging incentives for structural change, optimising the environmental benefits from farming, providing research, advisory and training services and a range of other measures.