The 2020 census of Irish agriculture will begin from Tuesday 1 September, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

The 2020 farm census will be issued to approximately 140,000 farms in Ireland and will need to be filled in and returned by 17 September.

The 2020 farm census is a four-page form that will ask for details about the farm situation in terms of land use, livestock and farm management.

The census of agriculture is collected once every 10 years to provide benchmark statistics on the number of farms in Ireland and the structure in terms of farm enterprise.

All information will be processed with the strictest of confidence and used for statistical purposes only, said the CSO.

Law

CSO statistician Cathal Doherty said farmers are required by law to answer the census.

"We are asking farmers to complete and return the four-page form by Thursday 17 September.

"The census of agriculture was first collected in Ireland in 1847 and is collected every 10 years to provide benchmark statistics on the number of farms in Ireland and the structure in terms of farm enterprise.

"This information will be of great value to the farming community and it forms part of an EU-wide programme of farm censuses being conducted this year.

"For every farm, your participation in the census of agriculture matters. Your response to the census is confidential and will be used only for statistical purposes," he said.

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