The latest estimates on farm incomes for 1998 confirm projections of a general decline in the standard of living on family farms, Mr Frank Allen, president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association (ICMSA) said yesterday.
The Irish Farmers' Association said the 4 per cent decline estimated by the Central Statistics Office comes on top of a 6.2 per cent decline last year.
"This adds up to a 13.5 per cent real income decline after inflation in the last two years", the association's president, Mr Tom Parlon, said last night.
The two organisations were responding to the CSO's Advance Es- timate of Output, Input and Income in Agriculture for 1998, published yesterday. It finds that "income from self-employment and other trading fell by 4 per cent or £78.3 million in 1998." Comparing 1997 and 1998 figures, the office finds the value of cattle output down 1.8 per cent, the value of pig and sheep output down 3.8 per cent and 14.1 per cent respectively and the value of milk output up 0.9 per cent. The value of cereal output decreased by 8.5 per cent, while that of root crops increased by 31 per cent.
These compare with the cost of feedstuffs which rose by 9.8 per cent and the cost of fertilisers which increased by 1.2 per cent. In light of these figures the IFA has called on the Government to implement the Farm Assist Scheme, announced in last week's Budget, "without any delay".
Mr Parlon said low farm incomes in 1998 were so widespread that the implementation of the scheme, which is based on a 20 per cent income disregard and further disregards of £100£200 depending on family size, in mid1999 would be "too late" for many families.
The ICMSA said there must be no further price reductions in the context of Agenda 2000 negotiations.
"The Government will have to redouble its efforts to ensure that farm income is not alone protected, but increased," Mr Allen said.