Employment in agriculture is declining at a similar rate in both the Republic and Northern Ireland.
Between 1994 and 1999, the number of people working in farming fell from 310,000 to 270,000 in the Republic and from 63,100 to 59,300 in the North.
Between 1994 and 2000, agricultural employment as a proportion of total employment fell from 12 per cent to 8 per cent in the Republic.