Agricultural income fell by over 14% last year, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office today.
The CSO's preliminary estimates of operating surplus in 2006 show a 14.2% drop in agricultural income for 2006. This compares with a 21.9% increase in agricultural income in 2005.
Energy costs in the agricultural sector increased considerably last year, with an extra €37m being spent on energy. This represents an increase of 13% on 2005 energy expenditure.
