It was reported recently that farm incomes for the year 2001 had seen a 15% increase on the previous year.
This hopeful news has been slightly dampened down by a new forecast, for the year to come, by Teagasc, the agriculture and food development authority. Their latest predicitions are that farm incomes are unlikely to reach this year's levels in 2002.
Teagasc economist Mr Liam Connolly told a Teagasc conference in Dublin on December 11th that next year was likely to see some slide in the performance of diarying, sheep, pigs and tillage farming. Beef markets while more stable than at the same time last year, still remain diffficult with continuing pressure on margins.
