Ireland
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| AGRICULTURE |
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The farm subsidies of the European Union should drop noticeably since Irish agriculture has modernized and farmers' incomes have increased fairly . Even though more than half of farm products is exported, Ireland suffers from the consequences of the "mad cow" disease. For the export markets, the livestock is often assimilated to the one of Great Britain and this situation is very prejudicial for the country.
Agricultural population (in thousands)
Total population
3 999
Agricultural population
354
Non agricultural population
3 645
Source : 2004, FAOSTAT
Land use
Cultivated surface area
4 370 000
Irrigated surface area
n.c.
Number of farms
132 670
Number of tractors
155 000
Source : 2003, FAOSTAT
Production indicators
Main crops
| Product | Production (in thousands) | Harvested surface (1000 ha) | Yield by hectare (kg/ha) |
| Sugar beet | 1395 | 31 | 45000 |
| Barley | 1025 | 165 | 6230 |
| Wheat | 798 | 95 | 8428 |
| Potatoes | 422 | 12 | 34553 |
| Oats | 111 | 16 | 6718 |
Source : 2005, FAOSTAT
Livestock
| Specie | Headcount (in thousands) |
| Chickens | 12700 |
| Cattle | 6888 |
| Sheep | 4557 |
| Pigs | 1681 |
| Turkeys | 1650 |
Source : 2005, FAOSTAT
Fishing (in metric tons)
| Shellfish, mollusks and cephalopods | Saltwater fish | Freshwater fish |
| 60 409 | 246 289 | n.c. |
Source : 2005, FAOSTAT