With prices for most farm produce rising, this year has been described by semi-state body Teagasc as one of the best ever in Irish agriculture.
Dr Noel Cawley, chairman of the agriculture and food development authority, said milk, cattle and sheep prices are all up on 2010.
In his opening statement at the launch of the authority’s 2010 annual report today, Dr Cawley said that the average farm income rose last year by 46 per cent. This was primarily due to higher milk prices he said, leading to an average income increase on dairy farms of 81 per cent for 2010.
“We have come to a very good period. 2010, which the report is about, was an excellent year…and thankfully that has continued in 2011,” he said.
“As we head for December, I suppose this has been one of the best years ever for agriculture and agri-business. It has done a lot for rural Ireland, there is no doubt about that.”
In a note of caution Dr Cawley added that subsidies accounted for 98 per cent of family farm incomes, highlighting the dependence of Irish families on the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union, he said.
The approaching abolition of milk quotas was pointed to by Prof Gerry Boyle, the authority’s director, as an opportunity for emerging young Irish farmers to expand and enter milk production.
“Low cost grass-based milk production systems provide Irish farmers with a ompetitive advantage that could be exploited in a quota free environment,” said Prof Boyle. “However, in the run up to their abolition, dairy farmers must carefully match their production to their quota to avoid possible super levy fines.”
Today’s report indicates that demand for agriculture and horticulture courses continued to grow during the 2010/2011 academic year, with 1,673 new enrolments onto Teagasc run courses, bringing the total number of students to 3,256.
Demand increased again for next year, forcing the authority to redeploy advisors into teaching roles and increase class sizes. The authority also secured the recruitment of six new teachers to deal with the larger number of students, despite the public service moratorium.
According to Prof Boyle, the main challenge facing the authoirty is the “substantial reduction” in staffing. Six regional managers were lost, leaving 12 still in place, a number he described as the minimum needed to sustain the organisation.
As part of the cutbacks, 31 of Teagasc’s offices around the country have been closed, with another five set to shut before the end of the year.
The authority has cut 280 jobs over the last three years, with a further reduction of 240 due by 2014 under the Employment Control Framework set by the Government. Teagasc currently employs 1,250 staff.