INTERESTING FACTS AND FIGURES ABOUT IRELAND’S AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY.
90
percent—The amount of protein feed for Ireland’s livestock that comes from soy and maize by-products produced in North and South America.
8.5
percent—The amount of employment that the agriculture and food sectors in Ireland account for. Meanwhile, agriculture and food account for 10 percent of total exports.
93
percent—The number of Irish farms that are livestock specialists.
33
percent—The number of Irish farms that have less than 20 hectares, while 21 percent have more than 50 hectares.
€291
million—The amount that Ireland’s horticulture production contributed to the country’s total farm output in 2009.
€11,968
—The amount of Ireland’s average family farm income in 2009, a decline of 30 percent from 2008 (€16,993).
256,000
hectares—The area sown to cereals in Ireland in 2010, down 11 percent compared to 2009.
2011
—The year Ireland assumed a seat on the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization and will be a Member of the Council until 2014.
