Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 308: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the number of full-time farmers in 1999; the number at present engaged in full-time farming; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43866/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The table shows the number of farmers who were sole occupation farmers in 1999 and in 2007 (the latter is the latest year for which information is available). The data shows that during this period, there was an 11% decline in the number of family farms. The number of farmers who identified farming as their sole occupation declined by 24% and the number who identified farming as either the main or subsidiary occupation of the holder increased by 7%.