Provisional figures released by DAERA for 2025 suggest the Total Income From Farming (TIFF) has passed £1bn for the first time.

TIFF is calculated by subtracting the cost of inputs such as feed and fertiliser from the value of total outputs such as livestock and crops. Direct payments are also added in, while deductions are made for the cost of employees, interest payments and rent. In effect, TIFF is a measure of the returns to farm families for their labour and capital invested in farming.

In 2024, TIFF was estimated at £736m and in 2025, the DAERA figures suggest this has increased by 40.5% to £1.03bn.

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The main drivers behind that were an increase in dairy and beef prices in 2025, while the cost of feed was down on the previous year.

Total output

Total gross output in 2025 was up 12% at £3.62bn, with dairying being the largest contributor at £1.2bn, up 11% thanks to a 3% rise in the price of milk (to average 42.5p/l) and an 8% increase in milk output (to 2.8bn litres).

Sales of finished beef cattle contributed £898m to total output, up 37% mainly thanks to a 32% increase in the value of prime cattle at slaughter and a 54% increase in the price of cull cows. With more poultry producers switching from broilers to eggs, the egg sector is next, contributing £317m to gross output, up 17%, with poultry meat at £304m, down 13% on the previous year.

The pig sector saw its total output down slightly at £293.5m, while finished sheep and lambs contributed £120m, down 6%. The average producer price for lambs increased 2% to 655p/kg, but the volume of meat produced dropped 14% last year. The value of total crops was virtually unchanged at £89m, while horticulture contributed £85m, down 9%.

Inputs

With a large livestock sector, feed accounts for 55% of total input costs. There was a 6% increase in the volume purchased in 2025, but a 6% decrease in the average price paid per tonne, leaving the total cost of feedstuffs unchanged at £1.19bn.

Total machinery expenses make up 10% of input costs at £212m, while contractor charges account for 6% of costs at £135m. The amount spent on fertilisers and lime did increase 32% last year, but the total is still relatively small at £133m.

Incomes

Along with their TIFF analysis the department also publishes farm income figures for 2024-2025 and estimates for the 2025-2026 financial year.

These incomes are presented by farm type and are based on accounts collected as part of the NI Farm Business Survey – it is a sample of farms with at least 0.5 standard labour requirements, so it is not an average across all farms in NI. On these farms, incomes are estimated to have increased by 19% from an average of £56,390 in 2024-2025 to £66,840 in 2025-2026.