Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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126. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers leaving the sector on an annual basis over the past ten years. [53056/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Central Statistics Office (CSO) carry out a census of agriculture every 10 years, with the last census held in 2020. Since the census held in 2010, the total number of farm holdings dropped by 4,823, or 3.4%, from 139,860 to 135,037.

The census provides data on the number of family farm holders who regard farming as their 'sole', 'major' or 'subsidiary' occupation. Since the census held in 2010, the number of family farm holders who indicate that farming is their sole occupation or major occupation has risen from 95,481 to 96,153, an increase of 672 farm holders or 0.7%.

However, those farm holders indicating farmwork as a subsidiary occupation, fell by 10,012 or 23% over the 10-year period from 44,075 to 34,063.

Table1 - CSO Census - Significance of Farmwork on Family Farms 2010 and 2020