Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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826. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views that the findings of the Teagasc National Farm Survey that 41% of cattle and sheep farms are non-viable farm business without additional off- farm employment; his plans to address this position; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35368/20]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The annual Teagasc National Farm Survey (NFS) examines many aspects of farming, including viability. A farm is defined as viable if family labour is remunerated at greater than or equal to the minimum wage and there is sufficient income to provide an additional five per cent return on non-land based assets employed on the farm. Over the past decade or more the results indicate that approximately one third of farms are viable, one third sustainable due to the presence of an off-farm income source, and about one third are vulnerable. The percentage of farms in each category varies only slightly over the years, depending on the economics of farming in that particular year.

There is a strong correlation between viability and system of farming, whether full-time or part-time. Based on the number of hours work required, about one third of farms are considered full-time farms by Teagasc. Almost 90% of dairy farms are considered full-time, while around 17% of cattle and sheep farms are considered full-time. Full-time farms are often the larger farms with average utilisable agricultural area (U.A.A) of 69.8 hectares compared to 30.4 hectares for part-time farms.

The viability of farms also varies considerably by farm type with 75% of Dairy farms and 63% of Tillage farms classified as viable, while 27% of Sheep farms, 24% of Cattle Other farms and 13% of Cattle Rearing farms were considered viable in 2019.

Over 52% of farm households had a source of off-farm employment income in 2019 while 30% of farm households were in receipt of a pension. The higher age profile of Cattle and Sheep farmers compared to Dairy farmers is reflected here with 35.2% of Sheep farm households in receipt of a pension, 35.7% of Cattle Other farms and 31.5% of Cattle Rearing farms compared to just 15.4% on Dairy farms.

The NFS examined the level of support provided by the exchequer and EU through farm payments. The average Cattle Other farm received €496 per hectare in 2019, up 13% compared to 2018 and up 23% compared to 2015, when they received an average of €404 per hectare. Cattle Rearing farms received an average of €461 per hectare, up 23% on 2015, while Sheep farms received an average payment per hectare of €411 per hectare, up from €348 in 2015 or 18%.

Agriculture is a key economic and social driver underpinning the vitality of rural villages and towns across the country. A new agri-food strategy to 2030 is currently being considered by a Committee of sector stakeholders. The Programme for Government has called for an ambitious blueprint for the agri-food sector for the years ahead, adding value sustainably into the future, and supporting family farms and employment in rural Ireland.