Teagasc’s sustainability report has shown that dairy farms are more economically sustainable, while beef and sheep farms generally have better environmental sustainability.

The tillage sector has the highest environmental sustainability in terms of greenhouse emissions, ammonia emissions and nitrogen balance per hectare.

The report, which is based on national farm survey data, stated that 86% of dairy farms surveyed were economically viable in 2021, followed closely by three-quarters of tillage farms.

However, the same could be said for only 39% and 27% of sheep and cattle farms respectively.

Only 7% of dairy farms and 19% of tillage farms were classed as vulnerable, meaning that the enterprise is non-viable and the farmer does not maintain off-farm employment.

The equivalent figures rise to 34% and 27% for cattle and sheep farms respectively.

The average income per labour unit on dairy farms worked out at €108,209. It was €75,185 for tillage, €18,725 for sheep and €17,445 for cattle farms in 2021.

Dairy farms performing better on economic metrics tended to be those stocked at higher intensities, thus rising their greenhouse gas emissions on an area basis.

Teagasc reported that the ammonia emissions per ha in dairying were more than double those associated with farming the same area with cattle and more than four times the emissions than if the land had been set in tillage.

Slurry and lime on the up

More than two-thirds of slurry spread by the dairy farmer survey participants was spread using low-emissions slurry spreading (LESS) techniques.

This figure fell to one quarter on the average cattle farm, although both groups more than doubled the proportion that was spread using LESS methods on the volume that went out two years ago.

The proportion of dairy, sheep and beef farms which spread lime stood at 44%, 28% and 21% last year, the results suggest.

Social sustainability

Almost four out of every 10 farmers said that they experienced stress over the past five years. The highest proportion reporting stress were dairy farmers, whose stress levels are worsening more than farmers from any other sector.

Dairy farmers typically worked more hours than those in the tillage and drystock sectors. However, the gap between dairying and the other enterprise types was less in 2021 than in the year previous.

The report also showed that those farming in the dairy and tillage sectors are more likely to adopt technologies, such as the internet and smartphones, than those farming in the drystock sector.