Almost 18,000 farms have been passed to apply for access to high-speed broadband under the National Broadband Plan (NBP).

The number of farms that can access the high-speed fibre network has more than doubled in the last 12 months, with an additional 10,000 farms passed in that time.

In total, National Broadband Ireland (NBI) has connected 6,000 farms to its network.

Peter Hendrick, CEO of NBI, said: “The significance of high-speed broadband, and the technologies it enables, continues to grow for farming. With a high-speed connection, farmers can unlock new levels of efficiency, sustainability and profitability in their operations.

“It’s therefore unsurprising that the rate of take-up on our network has been so strong among farmers, with one in every three passed so far already availing of a connection, and the number of farms connected trebled since this time last year,” he said.

Once a farm or house has been “passed” by the NBI, this means they are connection-ready and can order broadband from a provider.

“For farmers, this isn’t just about faster internet; it’s about unlocking new potential in precision agriculture, expanding market reach, and fostering innovation.

"As the rollout has developed, the NBI team and I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of people from the farming community who are harnessing high-speed internet and the range of technologies it unlocks.

“Farmers have been able to improve security on their farms through use of smart cameras, they’ve introduced livestock monitors, and some are even using weather monitoring to automatically regulate temperature in their grain stores,” he maintained.