Output, Input & Income in Agriculture provides estimates of major items of agricultural accounts. The estimates are based on data from a combination of sources including administrative data, industry sources and surveys conducted by CSO and Teagasc.
The Agricultural Price Indices comprise of the index of producer prices of agricultural products (the Output Price Index) and the index of purchase prices of the means of agricultural production (the Input Price Index). The Output Price Index is based on the sales of agricultural products and the Input Price Index is based on the purchases of the means of agricultural production by agricultural producers.
This chapter also presents estimates of Agricultural Land Prices for both arable land and permanent grassland per acre.
| X-axis label | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goods Output | 6.969 | 7.139 | 7.065 | 8.086 | 8.219 | 7.961 |
| Intermediate Consumption | 5.12 | 4.933 | 5.085 | 5.318 | 6.038 | 5.648 |
| Net Subsidies | 1.492 | 1.327 | 1.601 | 1.65 | 1.79 | 1.837 |
| Operating Surplus | 2.441 | 2.587 | 2.626 | 3.422 | 2.945 | 3.055 |
The value of agricultural goods output at producer prices in 2019 decreased by €258.0m (-3.1%) on its 2018 value, down from €8,218.9m to €7,960.9m.
This reduction was primarily due to the value of crops falling by €228.9m (-10.8%), from €2,126.0m to €1,897.1m and livestock values decreasing by €73.0m (-2.1%), from €3,453.7m to €3,380.7m. The main contributor to the fall in livestock values was cattle, which reduced in value from €2,262.2m to €2,151.1m, a decline of €111.1m (-4.9%). Lower crop values are mainly attributable to a fall of €276.3m (-20.6%) in the value of forage plants, down from €1,340.3m in 2018 to €1,064.0m in 2019.
While total livestock values fell, pig producers experienced a good year in 2019, with the value of their output rising from €459.1m to €543.0m, an increase of €84.0m (+18.3%).
The value of milk production also rose in 2019, up from €2,556.7m to €2,601.9m, an increase of €45.2m (+1.8%).
The value of subsidies on products to farmers increased from €65.1m to €150.6m, an increase of €85.5m (+131.4%).
When the value of contract work and subsidies and taxes on products are included, the value of agricultural output at basic prices decreased by €164.3m (-1.9%), from €8,686.0m to €8,521.7m.
While the value of agricultural output at both producer and basic prices fell in 2019, operating surplus increased by €110.7m (+3.8%). This increase was due to total intermediate consumption costs decreasing by €390.5m (-6.5%), down from €6,038.2m to €5,647.7m.
While the cost of some components of intermediate consumption increased, these increases were offset by a fall of €184.6m (-11.0%) in the cost of feedingstuffs and a decrease of €273.4m (-20.5%) in the value of forage plants consumed by farmers.
Interactive table: StatBank AEA01
Link to release: Output, Input and Income in Agriculture
The Regional Accounts for Agriculture provides a regional breakdown of figures already published at State level in the final estimate of the Output, Input and Income in Agriculture. They are prepared using similar methodology and definitions of the accounts items.
The NUTS 3 regional classification is based on the common classification of territorial units for statistics established by the Commission Regulation (EU) No 2066 of 2016 (NUTS - Nomenclature of Territorial Units).
A regional analysis of agricultural income and expenditure for 2019 shows the following:
|
Border |
Livestock accounted for 52.6% of the Border region’s agricultural output. It produced just over a quarter (25.2%) of the State’s pig production and 24.0% of the State’s sheep output. Overall, this region produced 13.0% of the State’s agricultural output. Net subsidies equated to 69.3% of the region’s operating surplus. Intermediate consumption costs in the region fell by €60.4m (-7.2%) in 2019. Following a fall of €70.6m in 2018, its operating surplus increased by €63.4m (+17.1%), up from €370.4m in 2018 to €433.8m in 2019. |
|
West |
The West has the highest dependency of all regions on livestock, with 56.3% of its agricultural output derived from livestock. It produced 27.6% of the State’s sheep output and had the lowest dependency of all regions on dairying, with just 13.9% of its agricultural output coming from milk production. This region made the lowest contribution to the value of the State’s agricultural output, contributing just 9.6% of the national total. Net subsidies represented 86.4% of the region’s operating surplus. Intermediate consumption costs fell by €42.0m (-6.4%). While the value of the region’s agricultural operating surplus decreased by €59.9m in 2018, the region experienced a partial recovery in 2019 with its operating surplus increasing by €20.0m (+5.1%), up from €392.2m in 2018 to €412.2m in 2019. |
|
Mid-West |
Approximately one fifth of the State’s cattle output (19.2%) and 21.0% of the State’s milk production were produced in the Mid-West. Livestock production accounted for 38.9% of the region’s agricultural output with milk contributing a further 38.3%. It produced 13.6% of the State’s pig output. Overall, this region accounted for 16.7% of the State’s agricultural output. Net subsidies equalled 55.7% of the region’s operating surplus. Intermediate consumption costs fell by €75.0m (-7.2%). Following a fall of €99.3m in 2018, its operating surplus increased by €3.2m (+0.6%) in 2019, up from €502.6m in 2018 to €505.8m in 2019. This represented a recovery of just 3.2% of the reduction in operating surplus that occurred in 2018. |
|
South-East |
Just under a third (31.4%) of the region’s agricultural output came from livestock with milk and crop production contributing a further 35.5% and 26.9% respectively. Over a quarter (28.7%) of the State’s cereal output and 14.0% of the State’s pig output was produced in the South-East. Just over fifteen percent (15.9%) of the State’s agricultural output was produced in this region. Net subsidies represented 47.7% of the region’s operating surplus. Intermediate consumption costs fell by €45.2m (-5.0%). After a decrease of €44.5m in 2018, the South-East’s operating surplus increased by €8.3m (+1.9%) to €448.1m in 2019. |
|
South-West |
The South-West had the highest dependency on dairying, with 46.1% of the region’s agricultural output coming from milk. The region was responsible for almost a third (31.7%) of the State’s milk production. It also had a high concentration of pig production, with just over one fifth (20.2%) of the State’s pig output produced there. This region produced just over one fifth (21.0%) of the State’s agricultural output. The South-West had the lowest net subsidies to operating surplus ratio of all regions at 44.4%. Intermediate consumption costs fell by €91.0m (-7.6%). While its operating surplus decreased by €148.4m in 2018, it rose by €28.2m (+4.0%) to €731.3m in 2019. |
|
Dublin & Mid-East |
Over one third (35.3%) of the State’s horse output, almost fifteen percent (14.6%) of the State’s sheep output and 10.2% of the State’s cattle output were produced in the Dublin & Mid-East region. One third (33.8%) of the region’s agricultural output was derived from livestock with a further 20.6% coming from milk production. Almost a quarter (23.7%) of the State’s crop output was produced in the Dublin & Mid-East region with crops accounting for 38.7% of the region’s agricultural output. This region produced over a third (35.4%) of Ireland’s cereal output. It produced 13.7% of the State’s agricultural output. Net subsidies represented 51.4% of the region’s operating surplus. Intermediate consumption costs fell by €37.3m (-5.1%). An analysis of all regions shows that this region was the only region that experienced a decline in its operating surplus, which fell from €372.3m in 2018 to €352.3m in 2019, a decrease of €20.0m (-5.4%). This followed a fall of €6.2m in its operating surplus in 2018. |
|
Midland |
Almost half (47.9%) of the region’s agricultural output was from livestock with a further 24.6% attributable to milk production. The Midland region produced 17.8% of the State’s pig output. Crop production was responsible for 20.1% of the region’s agricultural output. Overall, this region produced 10.1% of the State’s agricultural output. The Midland’s net subsidies to operating surplus far exceeded all other regions at 104.5%. Intermediate consumption costs fell by €39.6m (-5.9%). Having experienced a fall of €48.5m in its 2018 operating surplus, the Midland region’s operating surplus increased from €164.0m in 2018 to €171.8m in 2019, a rise of €7.8m (+4.7%). |
Interactive table: StatBank
Link to release: Regional Accounts for Agriculture
| Table 27.3 Agricultural output price index | |||||
| Base year 2015=100 | |||||
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Cattle | 100.0 | 93.0 | 94.7 | 93.4 | 88.1 |
| Sheep | 100.0 | 99.9 | 99.6 | 105.1 | 99.0 |
| Pigs | 100.0 | 102.6 | 110.4 | 96.5 | 114.3 |
| Poultry | 100.0 | 99.5 | 99.2 | 99.5 | 100.2 |
| Milk | 100.0 | 91.0 | 121.3 | 114.3 | 109.0 |
| Cereals | 100.0 | 101.3 | 101.9 | 123.9 | 133.1 |
| Potatoes | 100.0 | 128.5 | 117.2 | 140.4 | 186.2 |
| Fruit and Vegetables | 100.0 | 101.5 | 100.9 | 106.9 | 108.3 |
| Total outputs | 100.0 | 95.1 | 106.5 | 104.4 | 103.3 |
| Source: CSO | |||||
The agricultural output price index decreased by 1.05% in 2019 when compared to 2018, while remaining 3.3% higher than the base year of 2015.
Milk and cattle prices decreased by 4.6% and 5.7% respectively in 2019 compared to 2018. Milk prices were 9% higher in 2019 than in the base year of 2015, while cattle prices had dropped 12% over the same period.
Interactive table: StatBank
Link to release: Agriculture Price Indices
| Table 27.4 Agricultural input price index | |||||
| Base year 2015=100 | |||||
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Feeding stuffs | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.6 | 107.2 | 110.4 |
| Fertilisers | 100.0 | 86.2 | 81.5 | 86.4 | 90.9 |
| Seeds | 100.0 | 98.5 | 98.5 | 98.2 | 106.8 |
| Energy (including electricity) | 100.0 | 91.9 | 97.8 | 106.5 | 106.5 |
| Plant protection products | 100.0 | 102.3 | 103.1 | 103.9 | 103.8 |
| Veterinary expenses | 100.0 | 101.9 | 102.1 | 105.3 | 107.5 |
| Maintenance of materials and buildings | 100.0 | 100.7 | 101.1 | 103.4 | 104.1 |
| Other goods and services | 100.0 | 104.4 | 105.3 | 104.4 | 104.7 |
| Total inputs | 100.0 | 97.9 | 98.2 | 102.7 | 105.0 |
| Source: CSO | |||||
The agricultural input price index increased by 2.2% in 2019 when compared to 2018. At 105, it was 5% higher than in the base year of 2015.
In particular, fertiliser prices increased by 5.2% between 2018 and 2019, while energy prices remained the same over the same period. Compared to the base year of 2015, fertilisers were 9.1% lower in 2019 while energy prices were 6.5% higher in 2019.
Interactive table: StatBank
Link to release: Agriculture Price Indices
| Total outputs | Total inputs | |
| 2014 | 106.844 | 103.6 |
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 95.119 | 97.85 |
| 2017 | 106.458 | 98.219 |
| 2018 | 104.424 | 102.742 |
| 2019 | 103.26 | 105.041 |
| Table 27.5 Agricultural Land Prices | |||||||||
| Median Price in Ireland | Mean Price in Ireland | Number of Transactions of Agricultural Land in Ireland | Volume of Transactions of Agricultural Land in Ireland | Value of Transactions of Agricultural Land in Ireland | |||||
| Year | € / ac | € / ac | Acres | €million | |||||
| 2015 | 6,647 | 5,965 | 2,656 | 53,861 | 321.264 | ||||
| 2016 | 6,366 | 5,689 | 1,719 | 33,982 | 193.312 | ||||
| 2017 | 6,626 | 4,883 | 1,591 | 32,990 | 161.080 | ||||
| 2018 | 6,444 | 5,631 | 2,095 | 37,436 | 210.784 | ||||
| Source: CSO | |||||||||
The median price of land in Ireland in 2018 was €6,444 per acre based on 2,095 transactions. These transactions totalled a value of €210.8 million for 37,436 acres of agricultural land.
Interactive table: Statbank
Link to publication: Agriculture Land Prices
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