16th December, 2011

Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) national president, Gabriel Gilmartin has said that while he is pleased with the increased farm income figures from the CSO, he said that escalating input costs are a worrying trend.

The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that farm incomes have risen 28% in 2011 from 2010 but input costs are up substantially.

“Farm incomes are improving significantly since the record low in 2009 but rising operational costs are a big concern. Take for example the cost of fertilisers and feedstuffs. They have risen 19% and 9% respectively and the concern is that they will remain high but there is no guarantee that beef and sheep prices will hold up,” Mr. Gilmartin said

“However, it is not all doom and gloom, it’s encouraging to see that agriculture is the one area where growth is being registered in the economy. If costs can be kept under control and prices are maintained, there is potential to develop the industry further,” Mr. Gilmartin concluded.