Some 41% of farmers do not believe that solar panels should be permitted on productive farmland, according to the latest Irish Farmers Journal survey.

Farmers were asked if they agreed with the statement that solar panels should be allowed on productive agricultural land. A further 22% said they neither agreed or disagreed with the statement.

A total of 25% of the 1,215 farmers surveyed said they strongly disagreed with the statement.

The dairy and tillage sector had the highest proportion of farmers of any sector indicating a strongly adverse opinion to solar panels covering quality agricultural land as 28% of respondents in these sectors stated that they strongly disagreed with the idea.

However, 24% of tillage farmers said they strongly agree that the land use switch from productive farming to solar should be allowed.