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Standard Output

The Standard Output (SO) of an agricultural product is defined as the average monetary value of the agricultural output at farm-gate prices. SO is not a measure of farm income. It does not take into account costs, direct payments, value added tax or taxes on products. 

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X-axis labelMedian
Donegal7316
Leitrim7395
Mayo8683
Sligo 9021
Galway10457
Roscommon10929
Clare12166
Kerry12318
Longford12464
Cavan13079
Monaghan13886
Dublin16358
Westmeath18281
Limerick19325
Louth19514
Wicklow19846
Kildare20089
Meath20096
Offaly21387
Cork22911
Laois24849
Carlow26268
Tipperary26701
Waterford31001
Wexford31876
Kilkenny34525

Median values indicated that over 50% of farms in the South-East region as well as Tipperary had a standard output of over €25,000 in 2020. Kilkenny (€34,525) had the largest followed by Wexford (€31,876), Waterford (€31,001), Tipperary (€26,701) and Carlow (€26,268).

Northern and Western NUTS2 region counties (Donegal (€7,316), Leitrim (€7,395), Mayo (€8,683), Sligo (€9,021), Galway (€10,457) and Roscommon (€10,929)) with the exception of Cavan and Monaghan had median standard outputs of less than €11,000 in 2020.

The proportion of farm holdings per NUTS 2 region varies between the Standard Output bands.

The Northern and West region had a larger proportion for the four Standard Output bands lower than €25,000 in 2020, varying from 46.7% of the farm holdings in the €15,000 - €25,000 band to 57.5% of the farm holdings in the €4,000 - €8,000 band. The proportion for the region dropped from 36.1% in the €25,000 - €50,000 band to 22.0% in the €50,000 - €100,000 band to its lowest proportion of 13.2% in the Over €100,000 band. 

The proportion of Southern region farm holdings within the Standard Output bands below €50,000 varied from 29.0% in the €4,000 - €8,000 band to 41.0% in the €25,000 - €50,000 band, in 2020. Within the larger bands, more than 50% of the farm holdings were in the Southern region; 51.6% in the €50,000 - €100,000 band and 65.8% in the Over €100,000 band.

The Eastern and Midland region had a smaller proportion for the four Standard Output bands lower than €25,000 in 2020, varying from 17.6% of the farm holdings in the €15,000 - €25,000 band to 13.5% of the farm holdings in the €4,000 - €8,000 band. The proportion for the region increased from 22.9% in the €25,000 - €50,000 band to 26.4% in the €50,000 - €100,000 band and dropped to a proportion of 21.0% in the Over €100,000 band. 

Table 4.1 Number of farms by economic size (SO) in each region and county, 2020

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X-axis label< 10 hectares10 - 20 hectares20 -30 hectares30 - 50 hectares50 - 100 hectares100 + hectares
< €4,00017587753922961174436130
€4,000 - €8,000621578213156157437454
€8,000 - €15,0002965922959663785923124
€15,000 - €25,0007584234608356961544236
€25,000 - €50,0002831428367081263917571
€50,000 - €100,00086407127834294422792
Over €100,000260214546361081313968

The proportion of farm size changed as Standard Output increased in 2020.

81% of farms that had Standard Output of less than €8,000 were either < 10 hectares (60.3% of '< €4,000' and 32.4% of '€4,000 - €8,000') or 10-20 hectares (25.9% of '< €4,000' and 40.7% of '€4,000 - €8,000') in 2020.

81% of farms with Standard Output between €8,000 and €50,000 were in the 10 and 50 hectare size categories. Farms with Standard Output between €8,000 and €15,000 had 82.6% of farms between 10 and 50 hectares. Farms with Standard Output between €15,000 - €25,000 had 86.3% of farms between 10 and 50 hectares and farms with €25,000 - €50,000 had 73.5% of farms between 10 and 50 hectares in 2020.

Over 60% of farms that had Standard Output of greater than €50,000 were either 50 - 100 hectares (42.5% of '€50,000 - €100,000' and 48.6% of 'Over €100,000')  or 100 + hectares (7.6% of '€50,000 - €100,000' and 23.7% of 'Over €100,000') in 2020.

X-axis label< €4,000€4,000 - €8,000€8,000 - €15,000€15,000 - €25,000€25,000 - €50,000€50,000 - €100,000Over €100,000
Mean AAU11.5716.6422.7730.6643.1957.8782.51

There was an upward trend in average AAU as Standard Output bands increased in 2020.

Larger average AAU was observed in farms with Standard Output greater than €50,000. Farms with Standard Output of €50,000 - €100,000 had an average AAU of 57.87 ha and farms with Standard Output over €100,000 had an average AAU of 82.51 ha.

Farms with Standard Ouput of less than €8,000 had smaller average AAU in 2020; 11.57 ha for farms with Standard Output less than €4000 and 16.64 ha for farms with Standard Output between €4,000 - €8,000.

Table 4.2 Number of farms by economic size (SO) and farm size (AAU), 2020

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X-axis labelMedian Standard Output (€)Mean Standard Output (€)
Other40453338416
Specialist Dairying170790209006
Specialist Tillage45295101262
Mixed Crops and Livestock5049178539
Mixed Grazing Livestock2817449468
Specialist Beef Production1212719269
Specialist Sheep770312989
Mixed Field Crops154688

Other and Specialist Dairying farm types had the largest mean Standard Output in 2020. Other farm types had a mean of €338,416 and Specialist Dairying farm types had a mean of €209.006.

However, median Standard Output for the other farms was much lower than the mean in 2020. It is likely that the mean was skewed upward by large Standard Output for the Other farm types. There were 709 Other farms with Standard Output less than €4,000 and 786 Other farms with Standard Output over €100,000 in 2020.

Farm types that had the next largest mean and median Standard Outputs in 2020 were Specialist Tillage (mean of €101,262 and median of €45,295), Mixed Crops and Livestock (mean of €78,539 and median of €50,491) and Mixed Grazing Livestock (mean of €49,468 and median of €28,174).

Specialist Beef Production, Specialist Sheep and Mixed Field Crops had the lowest mean and median Standard Output in 2020. All means were less than €20,000 and all medians were less than €13,000.

Table 4.3 Number of farms by economic size (SO) and farm type, 2020

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X-axis labelMedian AgeMean Age
Over €100,0005251.81
€50,000 - €100,0005554.78
€25,000 - €50,0005655.64
€15,000 - €25,0005756.66
€8,000 - €15,0005957.95
€4,000 - €8,0006059.56
< €4,0006160.4

As the Standard Output bands got larger, the average age of the holder decreased in 2020.

Farms that had a Standard Output of over €100,000 in 2020 had holders typically aged 52 years.

Farms that had a Standard Output of less than €8,000 in 2020 had holders typically aged over 60 years. 

The remaining farms that had Standard Output between €8,000 and €100,000 in 2020 had holders typically aged between 55 and 60 years.

Table 4.4 Number of farms by economic size (SO) and average age of holder, 2020

Figure 4.6 Agricultural holdings by economic size (SO) and gender of holder, 2020

The gender proportional breakdown of farm holder changed as Standard Output increased in 2020.

There was a higher proportion of female holders in the lower Standard Output bands; 21.2% and 16.2% of holders were female in the less than €4,000 and €4,000 - €8,000 Standard Output bands respectively in 2020.

As Standard Output increased, the proportion of female holders decreased in 2020. For Standard Output bands of €8,000 - €15,000, €15,000 - €25,000, €25,000 - €50,000, €50,000 - €100,000 and Over €100,000, the proportion of female holders was 13.0%, 10.9%, 9.4%, 7.7% and 7.8% respectively.

Table 4.5 Number of farms by economic size (SO) and gender of holder, 2020