Family Farming in Ireland

Abstract

In Ireland, the term is synonymous with the term itself, since the degree of penetration of agriculture by commercial interests or agribusiness remains relatively small. Broadly speaking, there are three overlapping dimensions along which important distinctions between family farms occur in Ireland. These are farm size, the regional location of the farm, and the type of farming carried out. This chapter begins with a broad review of historical changes in the pattern of Irish family farming. It examines the role of government and European Economic Community policy in bringing about these changes. The chapter also examines some of the effects of these changes on the economic and social structure and environment of rural Ireland. It discusses the prospects for the different kinds of family farm in Ireland today. The majority of family farmers in Ireland today, therefore, hold a rather marginal position within the economy, being extremely unlikely to reproduce themselves.