John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 364: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the number of full-time and part-time farmers in 1967, 1977, 1987, 1997 and 2007; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17631/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The most recent statistics relating to farm numbers are available through the CSO Farm Structures Survey results for 2003 and 2005. The report shows that over that period 2003 to 2005 farm numbers declined at a rate of approximately 1% per annum to 132,500 farms. The reduction in farm numbers is part of an on-going trend, which is common throughout Europe. The rate of decline is lower in Ireland than in many other EU member states.

Comparable figures are not available on the numbers of full-time and part-time farmers for all the years requested during the period 1967 to 2007. Up to 1991 the focus of agriculture surveys was on the land holding, without distinguishing between the holder's full-time or part-time involvement in farming.

The table below shows the number of agricultural holdings over 1 acre for available years during the period 1965-1980.

In the 1991 Census of Agriculture, a new system was introduced which focused on the operational aspects of farming, which distinguished whether the farm holder considered farmwork to be his or her sole occupation or, on the other hand, his or her major or subsidiary occupation. It should be noted that until the 1991 Census, the CSO recorded all farms over 1 acre. From 1991 onwards, only farms over 1 hectare (2.5 acres approx) were measured.

The second table shows the total number of active family farms (in thousands) from 1991 to 2005 (the latest data available), broken down on the basis of whether or not farmwork is the sole occupation of farmer holder.