Key Results
The main changes between June 2022 and June 2023 are:
Farms: In June 2023 there were 26,131 farms in Northern Ireland with approximately one million hectares (1,042,318 hectares) of land farmed.
Farm Structure: In Northern Ireland over three quarters of farms (79%) are very small (20,603 in 2023). 78 per cent of farms in Northern Ireland have some cattle, 38 per cent have some sheep and 4 per cent have some poultry.
Farmers and workers: In June 2023 the were a total of 52,676 farm workers, of which 77 per cent were farmers, directors, partners or spouses.
Cattle: Total cattle numbers have decreased by less than 1 per cent to 1,673,345. The number of dairy cows remained relatively consistent at 319,346, while the number of beef cows decreased by 4 per cent to 236,082.
Sheep: There was a decrease of 2 per cent in breeding ewes compared to 2022, with numbers falling to 973,718. Overall, the total number of sheep recorded was 2,046,834, which was a 3 per cent fall from June 2022.
Poultry: Total poultry numbers on farms at June 2023 increased by 24 per cent from 2022 levels with 25.6 million birds recorded. An alteration in animal health factors, which positively affected production, drove the change in the sector. Total number of laying birds saw an increase of 11 per cent whilst broiler numbers increased by 31 per cent and other poultry increased by 294 per cent compared to June 2022.
Pigs: Total pig numbers recorded in June 2023 decreased by 8 per cent to 682,339 compared to June 2022.
Crop areas: The total area of crops grown in Northern Ireland in 2023 was approximately 47,777 hectares, a decrease of less than 1 per cent from 2022.
Cereals: The total area of cereals (31,803 hectares) grown in 2023 decreased by 3 per cent from 2022. Wheat crops decreased by 4 per cent to 8,309 hectares, Winter Barley decreased by 3 per cent and Spring Barley decreased by 2 per cent, while Oats decreased by 3 per cent from 2022, at 1,922 hectares.
1. Introduction
The data in this statistical publication are sourced from the Agricultural Census which is conducted in June each year. Data is collected on crop areas, livestock numbers and farm labour. Outputs include time series data and frequency distributions. Results are presented at Northern Ireland and sub-regional level.
The statistics are compiled from a survey of farm businesses augmented by administrative data (Animal Public Health Information System, APHIS, cattle tracing system). In response to COVID-19, the data collection for the Farm Census moved entirely online since 2020. In 2023 the survey remained online with minor changes due to feedback. A large response was achieved from the online-only collection and focused telephone follow-up. This has enabled detailed farm census statistics to be produced.
Since June 2020 new methodologies have been adopted to create the Agricultural Census in Northern Ireland sample using Departmental Administrative Data and to improve the quality of estimates for farms that did not respond. For some statistics within this publication this has created a break in the series of data and for these variables data should not be compared to published figures in previous years, these have been highlighted where applicable. Full explanation of these changes along with an analysis on data comparability is available in a standalone paper – available at: Methodology Changes 2020 pdf (152KB) – and within the background information on Quality and methodology of the Agricultural Census.
The statistics provide robust estimates of crop areas, numbers of livestock and of farmers and workers on active farm businesses on the survey date of 1st June 2023.
The population of farms to which these statistics refer includes all active farm businesses having one or more hectare of farmed land, whether owned, leased or taken in conacre, and those with under one hectare having any cattle, sheep or pigs or with significant poultry or horticultural activity.
Farm numbers in 2023 remained largely stable with an increase of less than 1% to 26,131.
Table 1.1: Number of farms Northern Ireland 2019-2023
2. Executive Summary
Farms
In June 2023 there were 26,131 farms in Northern Ireland with approximately one million hectares (1,042,318 hectares) of land farmed.
The area farmed (excluding common land) has remained relatively steady since 1984.
Figure 2.1: Number of farms and area farmed, Northern Ireland, 1983-2023 [1]
[1] Pre-1997 figures are estimates (based on combining overlapping series).
Table 2.1: Agricultural Land Area Northern Ireland 2019-2023
Farm Structure
In Northern Ireland over three quarters of farms (79%) are very small (20,603 in 2023).
Figure 2.2: Farm Size, 2023
Farm Type
The predominant activity on Northern Ireland farms is cattle & sheep. 78 per cent of farms in Northern Ireland have some cattle, 38 per cent have some sheep, 4 per cent have some poultry and 1.4 per cent have some pigs. This remains relatively consistent with the results in 2022, 2021 and 2020.
Figure 2.3: Number of farms by farm type, 2023 [1]
[1] Please note percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
Farmers and workers
The total number of farm workers increased by 1.8 per cent to 52,676 in 2023 from 51,760 in 2022. Figure 2.4 shows the breakdown of total farm workers between farmers, directors, partners or spouses (77%) and all other farm workers (23%) has remained relatively stable since 2004.
Figure 2.4: Percentage of farm workers by type, Northern Ireland 2005-2023
Cattle
Total cattle numbers have decreased by less than 1 per cent to 1,673,345 between 2022 and 2023. The number of beef cows decreased by 4 per cent to 236,082 and the number of dairy cows increased by less than 1 per cent to 319,346. As can be seen in Figure 2.6 Over two thirds of cattle are in herds of 100 or more.
Figure 2.5: Number of beef and dairy cows, 2005-2023
Figure 2.6: Number of cattle on farm by size of herd, 2023
Sheep
The total number of sheep was 2,046,834 in 2023 which was a 3 per cent fall from June 2022. There was a decrease of 2 per cent in breeding ewes compared with 2022, with numbers falling to 973,718.
Farms with more than 500 sheep on 1st June 2023 account for 41 per cent of the total sheep population.
Figure 2.7: Number of sheep on farm by size of flock, 2023
Poultry
Total poultry numbers on farms at June 2023 increased by 24 per cent from 2022 levels with 25.6 million birds recorded. An alteration in animal health factors, which positively affected production, drove the change in the sector. Total number of laying birds saw an increase of 11 per cent whilst broiler numbers increased by 31 per cent and other poultry increased by 294 per cent compared to June 2022.
Figure 2.8: Number of Poultry, 2023 [1]
[1] Please note percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
Pigs
Total pig numbers recorded on the farm census in June 2023 decreased by 8 per cent to 682,339 compared to June 2022. The decrease in pig numbers was primarily due to a reduced number of weaners, growers and suckling piglets.
In comparison to 2022, the total breeding herd fell to 56,274 (58,130 in 2022). The number of weaners and growers decreased by 11 per cent to 200,309 and suckling piglets decreased by 11 per cent to 109,527.
Most pigs are concentrated in relatively few farms, with units of more than 200 sows on 1st June accounting for 12 per cent of herds but 79 per cent of total breeding sows.
Figure 2.9: Type of Pigs, 2014–2023
Crop areas
The area of crops saw a decrease of less than 1 per cent between 2022 and 2023 to 47,777 hectares. Grass accounted for 79 per cent of all area farmed.
Figure 2.10: Land use by agricultural production type, 2023
Cereals
The total area of cereals grown in 2023 decreased by 3 per cent from 2022 to 31,803 hectares with wheat, winter and spring barley, oat and mixed corn crops all decreasing over the same period.
The area of spring barley grown in June 2023 decreased by 2 per cent from 2022 to 13,113 hectares but remains the most popular crop grown in Northern Ireland.
The area grown of wheat decreased by 4 per cent to 8,309 hectares in the same period, less than the area of winter barley grown (8,340 hectares).
Oat crops decreased by 3 per cent from 2022, at 1,922 hectares. Area of mixed corn remains relatively small in 2023 and has decreased by 4 per cent from 126 hectares in 2022 to 121 hectares in June 2023.
Figure 2.11: Wheat and Barley grown, 2005–2023
Other crops
The total area of other field crops increased by 6 per cent between 2022 and 2023. The area of forage maize increased by 22 per cent to 2,262 hectares and arable crop silage increased by 13 per cent to 4,440 hectares. There was a decrease of 7 per cent in the area of potatoes to 3,258 hectares. The area of other crops increased by 3 per cent to 3,350.
Figure 2.12: Area of other field crops, 2005–2023 [1]
[1] Figures for willow crops are only available from 2007 onwards.
[2] Other Crops - Oilseed rape, Turnip/beet, Kale/Cabbage, other stock feed crops, Triticale, Linseed, Flax, other glasshouse crops, Hemp and WBC.
3. Northern Ireland Totals
The tables in this section show the crop areas, livestock numbers and numbers of farmers and other workers for the 5 year period 2019 to 2023 at 1st June each year.
Table 3.1: Crop areas in Northern Ireland 2019-2023 (hectares)
[1] Other Crops - Oilseed rape, Turnip/beet, Kale/Cabbage, other stock feed crops, Triticale, Linseed, Flax, other glasshouse crops, Hemp and WBC.
[2] Other land - fallow land, roads, buildings, bogs, wasteland, gardens etc.
Table 3.2: Cattle and calves in Northern Ireland 2019-2023 [1]
[1] Data derived from the Animal and Public Health Information System, (APHIS).
Table 3.3: Sheep in Northern Ireland 2019-2023
Table 3.4: Horses and Ponies in Northern Ireland 2019-2023
[1] Methodology changes in 2020 have created a break in time series and data should not be compared to previous years. This is explained in further detail in the Farm Census Methodology Changes 2020 report.
Table 3.5: Goats in Northern Ireland 2019-2023
[1] Methodology changes in 2020 have created a break in time series and data should not be compared to previous years. This is explained in further detail in the Farm Census Methodology Changes 2020 report.
Table 3.6: Pigs in Northern Ireland 2019-2023 [1]
[1] Data derived from the Northern Ireland Annual Inventory of Pigs and the farm census.
[2] Prior to 2020 pet pig responses were included with Finishers.
Table 3.7: Poultry in Northern Ireland 2019-2023 [1]
[1] Data derived from the Northern Ireland Bird Register Update and the farm Census.
Table 3.8: Farmers and other workers in Northern Ireland 2019-2023
[1] From 2020 onwards, spouses are included in the Farmers, Partners and Directors category. In previous years, data on spouses was collected as a separate question, 6,700 spouses were included in the ‘Total Farmers, Partners, Directors & Spouses’ figure.
[2] Other Workers includes both paid and unpaid staff.
4. Farm Structure
The tables in this section focus on the farm business type. Farms are classified according to the type of farming found on the holding. In 2020 the business type classification was updated from 2010 Standard Output (SO) co-efficient to the more current 2013 SO values to align with other publications produced by the Department and across the UK. It is therefore worth noting that any comparison done on farm type data between 2020 and preceding years is not directly comparable. Further information on these classifications are available in our methodology and quality report.
Table 4.1 Number and area of farms by crop & grass area farmed in Northern Ireland, June 2023
Table 4.2 Number and area of farms by total area farmed in Northern Ireland, June 2023
Table 4.3 Number of farms by farm business size and by percentage of area farmed which is owner-occupied, June 2023
Table 4.4 Number of farmers and workers by farm business size in Northern Ireland, June 2023
[1] From 2020 onwards, spouses are included in the Farmers, Partners and Directors category. In previous years, data on spouses was collected as a separate question.
[2] Other Workers includes both paid and unpaid staff.
Table 4.5 Number of farms by (a) type of farm; (b) crops and grass area and (c) total area by farm business size in Northern Ireland, June 2023
[1] LFA = Less Favoured Area
Farm Type
Area of Crops and Grass Farmed (ha)
Total Area Farmed (ha)
5. Farm Activities
The tables in this section refer to all farming activities conducted on a holding, regardless of the farm business type classification in the previous chapter.
Table 5.1: Distribution of farms and cereals by area of cereals in Northern Ireland, June 2023
Table 5.2: Distribution of farms and crops by area of barley in Northern Ireland, June 2023
Table 5.3: Distribution of farms and crops by area in Northern Ireland, June 2023
[s] Figures suppressed due to data confidentiality constraints.
Table 5.4: Distribution of farms and potatoes by area of potatoes in Northern Ireland, June 2023
Table 5.5: Distribution of farms and dairy/beef cows by number of dairy/beef cows in Northern Ireland, June 2023
Table 5.6: Distribution of farms and total cattle by number of cattle in Northern Ireland, June 2023
Table 5.7: Distribution of farms and ewes/total sheep by number of ewes/total sheep in Northern Ireland, June 2023
Table 5.8: Distribution of farms and sows by number of sows in Northern Ireland, June 2023
Table 5.9: Distribution of farms and finisher/weaner and total pigs by number of pigs in Northern Ireland, June 2023
Table 5.10: Distribution of farms by size of poultry flock in Northern Ireland, June 2023
[1] From 2020 includes farms with less than 250 birds
6. County and District Council Area
The tables in this section show data for Northern Ireland counties and for local district council area. Farms are allocated based on the Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN) of the farmer’s main dwelling (i.e. where he/she resides). Where the UPRN is not available the postcode is used for allocation. Where the farmer has deceased the farm may be allocated a temporary location based on a relative’s address or a solicitor’s office if the estate is subject to probate at the time of the survey.
Table 6.1: Number of farms by crops & grass area by County and District Council in Northern Ireland, June 2023
[1] May be a temporary address for the business/ or correspondence address
Counties
District Council
Table 6.2: Number of farms by farm business size by County and District Council in Northern Ireland, June 2023
[s] Figures suppressed due to data confidentiality constraints.
[1] May be a temporary address for the business/ or correspondence address.
Counties
District Council
Table 6.3: Number of farms by farm type by County and District Council in Northern Ireland, June 2023
[s] Figures suppressed due to data confidentiality constraints
[1] May be a temporary address for the business/ or correspondence address
Counties
District Council
Table 6.4: Number of farms by LFA designation by County and District Council in Northern Ireland, June 2023
[1] Mainly LFA farms are made up of those designated Mainly SDA and Mainly DA
[2] May be a temporary address for the business/ or correspondence address
Counties
District Council
Table 6.5: Crop and grass areas by County and District Council in Northern Ireland, June 2023 (hectares)
[1] Other Farm Crops include Oilseed rape, Turnip/beet, Kale/Cabbage, other stock feed crops, Triticale, Linseed, Flax, Other glasshouse crops, Hemp and WBC plus Arable silage, Forage and Willow.
[2] Horticultural Crops include Fruit, Vegetables and Ornamentals.
[3] Other land includes Woodland, Mushrooms, Fallow land, roads, buildings, bogs, wasteland, gardens etc.
[4] May be a temporary address for the business/ or correspondence address
Counties
District Council
Table 6.6: Livestock numbers by County and District Council in Northern Ireland, June 2023
[1] May be a temporary address for the business/ or correspondence address
Counties
District Council
Table 6.7: Labour force by County and District Council in Northern Ireland, June 2023
[1] May be a temporary address for the business/ or correspondence address.
[2] From 2020 onwards spouses were included in the Farmers, Partners and Directors category.
[3] Other Workers includes both paid and unpaid staff.
Counties
District Council
7. Less Favoured Area
The tables in this section show the numbers of farms, crop areas, livestock numbers and persons working on farms which are wholly or mainly in areas classed as Severely Disadvantaged (SDA), Disadvantaged (DA) or Lowland.
Less Favoured Areas (LFA) is used to describe those parts of the country which, because of their relatively poor agricultural conditions, have been so designated under EU legislation. The LFA consists of Severely Disadvantaged Area (SDA) which is the original LFA as designated in 1975 and the Disadvantaged Area (DA) which was designated following reviews in 1984 and 1990.
Table 7.1: Numbers of farms by type of farm and farm business size by LFA category in Northern Ireland, June 2023
[1] Mainly LFA farms are made up of those designated Mainly SDA and Mainly DA
Farm type
Farm Business Size
Table 7.2: Areas of crops, grass, rough grazing & other land by LFA category in Northern Ireland, June 2023 (hectares)
[1] Mainly LFA farms are made up of those designated Mainly SDA and Mainly DA
[2] Other Farm Crops include Oilseed rape, Turnip/beet, Kale/Cabbage, other stock feed crops, Triticale, Linseed, Flax, Other glasshouse crops, Hemp and WBC plus Arable silage, Forage and Willow.
[3] Other land includes Woodland, Mushrooms, Fallow land, roads, buildings, bogs, wasteland, gardens etc.
Table 7.3: Numbers of cattle by LFA category, June 2023
[1] Mainly LFA farms are made up of those designated Mainly SDA and Mainly DA
Table 7.4: Numbers of sheep by LFA category, June 2023
[1] Mainly LFA farms are made up of those designated Mainly SDA and Mainly DA
Table 7.5: Numbers of horses by LFA category, June 2023
[1] Mainly LFA farms are made up of those designated Mainly SDA and Mainly DA
Table 7.6: Numbers of goats by LFA category, June 2023
[1] Mainly LFA farms are made up of those designated Mainly SDA and Mainly DA
Table 7.7: Numbers of pigs by LFA category, June 2023
[1] Mainly LFA farms are made up of those designated Mainly SDA and Mainly DA
Table 7.8: Numbers of poultry by LFA category, June 2023
[1] Mainly LFA farms are made up of those designated Mainly SDA and Mainly DA
Table 7.9: Farm labour force on farms by LFA category, June 2023
[1] Mainly LFA farms are made up of those designated Mainly SDA and Mainly DA
[2] From 2020 onwards spouses were included in the Farmers, Partners and Directors category.
[3] Other Workers includes both paid and unpaid staff.
8. Crop Yields and Production
The tables in this section show yield and production estimates for the main cereal crops and potatoes for the year 2023. The estimates for cereal yields were obtained from a post-harvest survey of 233 growers, whilst potato estimates were derived from a survey involving pre-harvest digs covering potato crops on approximately 70 farms.
There was a decrease in yield (tonnes per hectare) for winter barley, spring barley, wheat. Overall, production (tonnes) for cereals decreased in 2023.
Barley: Total production of barley decreased in 2023 to approximately 111,000 tonnes, a decrease of 20 per cent compared to 2022. Spring barley production decreased by 27 per cent to 57,000 tonnes while winter barley production decreased by 10 per cent to 54,000 tonnes. The overall area grown decreased by 2 per cent from 2022 levels which accounts for the decrease in production. Yields for winter (6 t/ha) crops decreased by 7 per cent and yields for spring (4 t/ha) crops decreased by 26 per cent from 2022.
Wheat: The total area of wheat grown decreased by 4 per cent with production of wheat decreasing to 57,000 tonnes, a decrease of 15 per cent from 2022. As with Barley, this decrease is a result of both a decrease in area grown and yields as yields decreased by 12 per cent compared to 2022.
Oats: Oat yields decreased by 10 per cent in 2023. The total area of oats planted decreased by 3 per cent in 2023. This decrease in both yield and area planted lead to an overall decrease in production of 12 per cent (11,000 tonnes).
Potatoes: The pre-harvest production estimate of main crop ware and seed potatoes is 123,000 tonnes, a decrease of 11 per cent from 2022. In 2023, the area planted decreased by 7 per cent to 3,258 hectares and yields decreased by 5 per cent to 38 tonnes per hectare.
Table 8.1: Estimates of Crop Yields (Tonnes per Hectare)
[1] Cereal yields and production at 15% moisture content. Yields unadjusted for moisture are shown in brackets.
[2] Marketable yield includes crop over 45 mm for ware crops and over 28mm for seed.
Table 8.2: Estimates of Crop Production (’000 Tonnes)
[1] Maincrop yield only
Table 8.3: Area Grown (hectares)
9. Notes for Readers
The survey results were prepared by statisticians from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) working within DAERA. Further information about NISRA can be found on the NISRA website.
There were key methodological changes in 2020 both in how the Agricultural Census data was collected and processed. These included
The creation of a revised farm census sample using departmental administrative data sources.
Due to COVID-19, a letter inviting farms to take part was issued to all farms and data collected online only for the first time.
Some questions were simplified or removed to streamline the online collection experience and reduce the burden on farms.
Data for the cattle section was extracted from the APHIS cattle tracing database as in previous years.
Telephone support was provided for farmers who could not complete online and a focussed telephone follow-up of non-responding farms was carried out.
New estimation and imputation methods were used to create statistics for those who did not provide a return.
Full details on the methodology, coverage of the census and terms are available in the Agricultural Census Methodology and Quality report.
Results are based on 15,704 completed questionnaires augmented with data from the APHIS cattle tracing system, Northern Ireland Bird Register and Northern Ireland Annual Inventory of Pigs.
These statistics are released according to the Statement of Compliance with the Pre-release access to Official Statistics Order (NI) 2009.
Enquiries about this Agricultural Census publication should be addressed to:
Farm Census Team
Statistics and Analytical Services Branch,
Policy, Economics and Statistics Division of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs,
Clare House,
303 Airport Road West,
Belfast,
BT3 9ED
Email: DAERASurveys@daera-ni.gov.uk
Tel: 02890 525 432All media queries should be made to DAERA Press Office on 028 90524619
All recent DAERA statistical releases can be found on the DAERA statistics page
The UK Statistics Authority has confirmed these statistics as accredited official statistics. Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. Accreditation signifies production is in accordance with this act and that these statistics comply with the Code of Practice for Statistics.
This accreditation means that the statistics:
- meet identified user needs;
- are well explained and readily accessible;
- are produced according to sound methods; and
- are managed impartially and objectively in the public interest.
Once statistics have been accredited it is a statutory requirement that the Code of Practice for Statistics shall be observed regarding them.
Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.
These accredited official statistics were independently reviewed by OSR in March 2019. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and should be labelled ‘National Statistics’. National Statistics are accredited official statistics. A copy of the compliance check letter can be found here.
You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website at Accredited official statistics – Office for Statistics Regulation.
Further information on accredited official statistics can be accessed on GOV.UK Statistics; and from the UK Statistics Authority.
- meet identified user needs;
10. Contact Details
Published by: Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
Lead Statistician: Danielle Clarke
Contact: Policy, Economics and Statistics Division
Telephone: 028 9052 5432
Email: DAERAsurveys@daera-NI.gov.uk
Accessibility contact
Please contact Dissemination Branch for assistance with accessibility requirements or alternative formats. Contact details are:
Email: info@nisra.gov.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)300 200 7836
Dissemination Branch
NISRA
Colby House
Stranmillis Court
BELFAST
BT9 5RR