Farming in Northern Ireland has taken a significant financial hit as figures show a 25 percent decrease in total income over the past year.
Provisional figures indicate that the total income from farming fell by 25% from £386 million in 2018 to £290 million in 2019.
Average farm incomes are expected to decline by 14% from an average of £28,612 in 2018/19 to £24,679 in 2019/20.
Estimates show that almost all farm types have suffered, with the situation for cattle and sheep farms having been particularly challenging.
Northern Ireland's newly-elected farming minister Edwin Poots called the figures 'disappointing but not surprising'.
“At the moment, they are not being fully rewarded for that effort and this is something that needs to change.
“To this end I will be writing to the main processors and the supermarkets asking how they can help farm businesses to be more sustainable,” he said.
The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) said the figures stress the unsustainable financial situation that farm families endured last year.
“It is a clear indicator that the uncertainty farmers have been dealing with combined with increasing prices over the last few years is beginning to seriously impact their businesses,” UFU president Ivor Ferguson said.
He said lowland and less favoured area (LFA) livestock are in 'real trouble'.
“The LFA cattle and sheep farm business income for 2018/2019 has decreased by £3,357 when compared to 2017/2018 and lowland cattle and sheep farm business income dropped by £4,363,” Mr Ferguson explained.
Farm business income for cattle and Sheep (LFA and lowland), cereals, dairy and mixed farm types is expected to fall by varying amounts between 2018/2019 and 2019/2020.
The downturn is mainly attributed to lower output prices in the 2019/20 accounting year however, pig farms are expected to show an increase in incomes due to higher pig meat prices in 2019/20.
Dairying remains the largest contributor to the total value of gross output at £654 million in 2019; a fall of 4%.
Between 2018 and 2019, the annual average farm-gate milk price decreased by 6% to 27.1 pence per litre while the volume of raw milk produced in Northern Ireland increased by 2% to 2.4 billion litres.
Mr Ferguson added: “The drop in farm income means our farmers now have a greater dependence on agricultural support.
“These figures illustrate the importance of support payments in sustaining the industry and underpinning its competitive trading position.
“The UFU firmly believe that a profitable agriculture industry is key to providing a healthy economy, generational renewal and a better environment.”
