Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

250 Chapter 10: Environment and Agriculture Figure 10.4  Trends in annual family farm income by farm system, 2012–2022 ˜ Cattle other ˜ Cattle rearing ˜ Sheep ˜ Tillage ˜ Dairying 0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000 120,000 140,000 160,000 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 Year Family farm income (€) Note: Preliminary estimates indicate significant reductions in family farm incomes in 2023 on dairy and tillage farms, back to an annual average of €59,000 and €30,000, respectively (Buckley et al ., 2023). Source: Teagasc, 2023a 2. The impacts of agriculture on the environment Greenhouse gas emissions The agriculture sector accounted for 38% of Ireland’s national greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 (EPA, 2024a). Trends are largely determined by the size of the national cattle herd and the application rates of nitrogen fertilisers and have been increasing over the last decade as the sector has grown (Figure 10.5). While dairy cattle numbers increased by 2.2% annually on average over the period 2018–2023, the increases have been partially offset by the numbers in other cattle categories that have decreased by 0.6% annually on average over the same period. From 2018 to 2023, an annual average decrease of 3.9% in fertiliser sales was achieved which is positive, however, these lower levels of fertiliser nitrogen use must be maintained. Figure 10.5  Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, 1990–2023 ˜ Enteric fermentation ˜ Manure management ˜ Agricultural soils ˜ Liming ˜ Urea application ˜ Agriculture/Forestry fuel combustion ˜ Fishing Year Million tonnes CO 2 equivalent 0 5 10 15 20 25 22 23 20 18 16 14 12 10 08 06 04 02 00 98 96 94 92 90 21 19 17 15 13 11 09 07 05 03 01 99 97 95 93 91 Source: EPA, 2024a