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In the third quarter of the year, planning permission was lodged for 378 new farm buildings in Ireland, the latest Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures show.
Some 244 of these planning permissions were lodged from the south and east of the country and the other 134 came from the border, midlands and western regions.
These planning permissions equate to 223,000sq metres of ground space.
These figures are down on the same period in 2016, when there was 494 planning permissions lodged.
Extensions and alterations
Extensions to farm buildings were also down in the third quarter of the year compared with the same period in 2016. However, alterations and conversions were up.
The figures show that in the third quarter of 2017, some 56 planning permissions to extend farm buildings were lodged, compared with 69 in the same period in 2016.
Alterations and conversions of buildings were up in the period, from nine to 14.
In total, between new builds, extensions and alterations, there was planning permission lodged for 448 buildings in the third quarter of this year. This is down on the corresponding period last year, when some 572 planning permissions were lodged.
TAMS II
The jump in farm building planning permissions in 2016 can be attributed to the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS II), which gives grant aid to farmers for new builds.
In pictures: ventilation options for your shed
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