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A study of Ireland’s smaller farms has found that almost two-thirds of smaller farmers feel less secure in their own homes than they did five years ago.
This figure rises to three-quarters of farmers aged over 60 years of age who feel less secure now.
The farmers were taking part in a Teagasc study about small farms which produce less than €8,000 of agriculture output.
That is the equivalent of six dairy cows, 6ha of wheat or 14 suckler cows.
Isolation
Professor Thia Hennessy of UCC said: “Although small farmers in general do not report a high risk of isolation, older farmers in particular report reduced access to services, a declining sense of security and up to 40% of them do not have contact with people outside of their home on a daily basis.”
There are 50,000 small farms in the country, and one-third of them are operated by farmers aged 65 or older.
They are typically cattle and sheep farms spread across the border and western regions, and they account for 37% of all farms nationally.
Despite the low income from farming, 80% of small farmers intend to continue farming.
Elderly farmer conned out of €400
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