Farm incomes on Northern Ireland (NI) farms went up significantly in 2024, with provisional estimates published by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) suggesting they have increased 62.5%.

Total income from farming (TIFF) in NI is estimated at £766m, compared with £471m in 2023.

The calculation of TIFF represents the return on own labour, management input and own capital invested for those involved in farming.

The farm income figure includes direct payments, which are estimated at £304m in 2024.

NI agricultural output

A key driver of overall income is farm sales and, in 2024, total gross output from NI farming was 8% higher at £3.19bn.

The livestock sector increased by 9% in value of output, while field crops increased by 3%.

Dairying continues to remain the largest contributor to the overall total, with an increase of 21% to £1.1bn in 2024.

The volume of raw milk produced in NI increased by 4% to 2.6bn litres.

The output value of cattle was 4% higher at £658m, while sheep output increased by 8% to £123m. Poultry declined 7% in 2024 to £356m, while pigs were down 1% to £295m. However, eggs increased by 16% to £264m.

The value of output for cereals was down 6% to £38m whereas potatoes increased by 10% to £34m.

Expenditure on farm

Total gross inputs declined by 3% to £2.09bn in 2024, mainly on the back of lower prices for feedstuff and fertiliser.

DAERA estimates that the average income on those farms included with its annual farm business survey will increase from £29,260 in 2023/24 to £60,622 in 2024/25, ie an increase of £31,361 or 107% per farm.

The farms in this survey are larger businesses with standard labour requirements of at least 0.5.