Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue TD, has said that the publication of this week’s Teagasc’s 2018 National Farm Survey shows how government is not prioritizing vulnerable farming sectors.
Deputy McConalogue said 2018 was a very tough year for farmers with the severe drought that visited the country, which had a knock-on effect on massive feed and input costs.
He said “This had a big hit on sectors such as dairy.
“The average farm income declined by over a fifth in 2018 to €23,483. Farm incomes still lag substantially behind the average industrial wage.
“However, the figures once more expose how successive Fine Gael led governments are leaving vulnerable sectors behind. For example, the average income of suckler farmers declined to €8,318 last year – a 22% decrease on 2017.
“Meanwhile, sheep farmers’ average income was under €14,000 – representing a fall of over 20% from 2017.
“The government is very quick to talk up booming export figures and opening new markets. While this is important, the primary producer needs to see a fair share in profitability levels and receive a bigger slice of the profit in the food supply chain.
“The government needs to prioritise greater levels of support for vulnerable sectors, swiftly implement EU legislation on unfair trading practices, ensure a fully funded CAP budget post-2020 and increase income volatility tools to support farmers,” concluded Deputy McConalogue.