The value of output of Irish farms fell by 16.2% in the 12 months to August according to latest figures from the Central Statistics Office.
The fall was mostly attributable to a steep fall in the price farmers were paid for their milk by dairy processors, which was down 38%.
Cattle prices were also down 4.6%, the CSO noted.
However those falls masked increases in other sectors. Prices paid for potatoes rose 37%, while egg prices increased by 14% and pig prices were up 13%.
In the same period the costs of inputs that farmers require to farm also fell and were down 12% overall compared to a year previously.
Noteworthy here was the cost of fertiliser which fell 45%, the CSO said.
Feed prices were also down by nearly 7%.
But other input cost increased including electricity prices, which were up 25%, while prices for plant protection products increased by 7.6%.
