Average family farm income in Ireland rose by 51% to EUR 54,606 in 2025, according to the final results of Teagasc's National Farm Survey published on 5 October together with its farm enterprise factsheets, Agriland reported. Every farm system earned more than its 2021-2025 average, but the gap between systems stayed wide.
Dairy farms averaged EUR 154,988, up 43%, driven by a 4.8% rise in national milk output and an average milk price of almost 54 cents a litre against an average production cost of 35 cents. 65% of the 15,131 dairy farms represented earned more than EUR 100,000, while the share below EUR 30,000 fell from 12% to 7%. Fertiliser spending on the average dairy farm (98 cows, 70 hectares) rose 12% to EUR 19,855 on higher prices, contracting rose 6% to EUR 21,396, and concentrate spending fell 2% to EUR 61,006.
Cattle rearing (suckler) farms averaged a record EUR 23,291, up 68%, on much higher weanling, store and finished cattle prices; their gross output rose 19% to EUR 56,860, support payments fell 4% to EUR 16,945, and on 51% of them the holder also worked off the farm. Cattle finishing farms averaged EUR 34,247 (up 89%), sheep farms EUR 30,503 (up 11%) and tillage farms EUR 55,419 (up 34%).
Compared with the five-year average, dairy incomes were 35% higher, suckler incomes 82%, cattle finishing 69% and sheep 42%, with tillage lowest at 13%. The figures come from the 800 farms in the survey.
Teagasc said the factsheets, which leave out most support payments to show market-based profit, illustrate the continued high cost base of Irish farming since 2022: higher output prices in 2025 lifted milk and cattle margins, cereal margins improved only from very low 2024 levels, and sheep margins fell slightly.
Photo: Martin Abegglen / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Source: Agriland
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