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NEARLY TWO-FIFTHS of farm holders are over the age of 65, with under-35s making up only a small proportion of the sector.
The average age of farm holders is 59.4. Over 50,000 of Ireland’s farm holders (37.8%) are aged 65 or over, whereas only 6,000 (4.3%) are under 35.
That’s according to new data released by the Central Statistics Office about farms and farmers in Ireland as of 2023.
“The Farm Structure Survey provides a comprehensive snapshot of the agricultural activity on Irish farms in 2023,” said Sophie Emerson, statistician in the CSO’s agriculture division.
“The results provide detail on farm structure, farm holder demographics, livestock, land utilisation, organic farming, the agriculture labour force, standard output, farm machinery and soil management.”
There is still a large gender gap among farmers, the CSO data shows.
87% of farm holders in 2023 were men while only 13% were women. Of 299,725 farm workers, 66% were men while 34% were women.
In total, there were 133,174 farms recorded in 2023. The average size was 34.7 hectares.
The number of cattle in Ireland has risen to 7.3 million, representing a 6.4% increase from 2013 to 2023. However, the number of farms with cattle actually fell by 7.9% over the same period, which means the rise in cattle numbers is due to other farms increasing their herds.
The average herd size increased from 62 animals to 72 animals (a 16.1% jump) since 2013. The average herd size for dairy cows in particular has increased significantly from 64 animals to 98 animals (a 53.1% increase).
Sheep, pig and poultry numbers have also increased.
The rising herd numbers could pose a challenge for the agriculture sector meeting its climate action targets.
Agriculture was directly responsible for 37% of Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2023, mainly through methane from livestock and nitrous oxide from fertilisers and manure management.
Organic farming, which is usually good for the environment, is on the rise; in 2023, there were 4,168 organic farms, a significant increase compared with 2020 when there were only 1,686.
However, only 5% of farms reported having a renewable energy source present on the farm.
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So did they win or what?
Fair play to her, my partner gave birth and I couldn’t go to work for a week….
Our bodies were evolved to reproduce from our teenage years onwards, not in our late 30′s and 40′s, it’s one of the reasons C sections are so common now
walk it off and get back in tbe game
“Teenager gives birth to baby in gym toilet and returns to volleyball game”.
This is why China will take over the world. As a nation they exemplify a “can do” attitude and simply refuse to let anything prevent them from “finishing the job”, including in this case, childbirth.
Irish women could learn something from that girls attitude.
She returned to the game because she was terrified of being found out. The poor girl had no one to turn to in a country that is still caught in the dark ages when it comes to women having children outside of marriage. The girl needs sympathy and not smart comments from the male chauvinist brigade.
Tadhg, come back to us when you’ve had a baby. We might take your last line seriously then.
Me ma gave birth to me at 12 and she was home by 5 to cook the dinner, women now a days drag it out with 6 months off work..
She was very young to have a bonny baby, Alfie!
Must have been tough on your ma having a baby when she was only 12
And we even get pain relief ; )
Like a boss
HACK ATM AND BECOME RICH TODAY!!!!
Hello everyone. There is a new way of making cash, although it is illegal but also a smart and easy way of living big. I used to be a barrack girl until i became eager and decided to change my life one way or the other. I got opportunity to register for the militant amnesty through connection thereby taking me out of the country for training in the United States for a period of 3years. To cut the story short, during my training i made some white friends who were geeks and also experts at ATM repairs, programming and execution who taught me various tips and tricks about breaking into an ATM. with my knowledge gained from my white geek friends, i have been able to counterfeit and programme a blank ATM card using various tools and software’s. I have ready-made programmed ATM cards; I am just 29, my family are in USA and i have cash, i have a car, i live in malaysia and i travel all around the world. i do my things on a low-key to avoid suspicion. Some of you will wonder why i am selling this out if truly i am already living large. It is because it is hard task doing it yourself, i wont lie to you, its not easy to hack ATM talk more of to reprogramme the card alone and be able to get 40,000 Kuwaiti dinar each day. It takes days and sometimes weeks. Some of you will want the ready made card to avoid the stress of doing it yourself and i don’t give the ready made card out for free because i spent days trying to make it available for you. on yahoomail, (luciafernando222@gmail.com) for request of the ATM NOTE: the ATM card has no pin, no registered account number. It has no limit for withdrawal and it is untraceable.(luciafernando222@gmail.com)
Well you just killed that thread
This one takes a bit of timing, and a lot of patience: as soon as you see the signs, get your child to the potty/toilet as quickly as you can (you might need to lift them up and run!), and put them on the toilet seat. Sit with him reading or with an iPad or whatever until he goes. Huge applause and reward. Repeat until the connection is made. I have found some good pottytrainingapp http://www.pottytrainingapp.com from searching google. You may try this apps for become a special potty trainer for your childs. Thanks.
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