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The number of farmers in receipt of Farm Assist payments has hit an all-time low.
Just 5,966 farmers received the €203 weekly payment last year, marking ?a drop of almost 20% ?since 2017.
While the figures from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection? show that unemployment ?dropped significantly by the end of 2019, this could potentially change given the recent economic impact of the coronavirus.
A number of part-time farmers have already reported having their hours reduced as a result of the pandemic.
The figures also reveal a systemic poverty issue along the western seaboard.
While the economy had improved in recent years, recipients of the welfare payment in Mayo and Donegal remained high and collectively still account for over one-third of all recipients nationally.
The difference between the number of recipients in the east and west of the country is stark, with less than 50 recipients in counties such as Meath and Kildare, and well over 1,000 in Donegal.
Fianna Fáil TD? Éamon Ó Cuív stated that long-term recipients of Farm Assist should be offered a place on the Rural Social Scheme, provided that work within the community could be made available to them.
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