Prices paid to farmers for their produce rose by 12% to €14 billion last year, driven largely by a 43% increase in cattle prices, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show.
The CSO said that despite volumes falling by 5%, the value of cattle was up by €1.1 billion to €4.2 billion.
Today's figures show that the overall value of livestock increased by 25% last year, with horse values growing by 14% and poultry values increasing by 9%.
But despite volumes rising by 3%, lower prices resulted in the value of pigs falling by 2%, while there was no significant change in sheep values, with prices up 7% but volumes down 7%.
The CSO also reported a 10% increase in milk values, due mostly to volumes rising by 7%.
Meanwhile, the value of crops fell by 4% to €2.7 billion last year.
Cereal values contracted by €13m, as a 10% increase in volume was counteracted by a 12% drop in prices. Other crops accounted for an additional €54m of this drop, the CSO added.
The CSO also estimated that the input costs facing farmers grew by 2% to €7.9 billlion in 2025.
Fertilisers accounted for the bulk of this hike, as higher prices (up 5%) and volumes (up 16%) saw their cost rise by €132m to €733m.
The CSO added, however, that its estimate is based on incomplete data, with data on many costs still outstanding.
Overall, the CSO's preliminary estimate of Agricultural Operating Surplus for 2025 indicates that it increased by 29% to €5.5 billion.
