Regional Accounts for Agriculture 2024

The West (Galway, Mayo, and Roscommon) is the smallest agricultural producing region in Ireland by value, generating 10% (€1.2bn) of the State’s Agricultural Output at Basic Prices. It was the largest recipient of total net subsidies in 2024 (i.e. Subsidies less Taxes on both Products and Production), with 21% of the State total paid to the region. Cattle is the most important agricultural output for the region, generating 39% of the value of its Agricultural Output at Basic Prices. While it is the largest Sheep producing region, with 28% of Irish Sheep reared there, Sheep still only accounted for 9% of the region’s agricultural output. It also has the lowest dependency on Milk and produced just 4% of all Irish Milk.

The value of the region’s Agricultural Output at Basic Prices rose by 9% (+€101m) to €1.2bn. Cattle production, with a value of €473m, accounted for €13m of this growth while Sheep production, at €107m, added a further €11m. Milk generated €170m of Output, up €26m (+18%) on its 2023 value. Crop production, valued at €309m, added an additional €28m to Output, with Forage Plants generating €20m of this growth.

Intermediate Consumption costs were up 2% (+€20m) to €878m, despite the cost of Fertilisers falling by €20m to €58m and expenditure on Feeding Stuffs decreasing by €9m to €183m. The main items with higher expenditure were Contract Work, (+23%, +€16m), Forage Plants (+9%, +€21m), and Energy & Lubricants (+11%, +€8m). Payments for Other Subsidies less Taxes on Production grew by 25% (+€80m) to €401m. The net impact of all these and other changes on the region’s agricultural income was an increase of 34% (+€118m) in its Operating Surplus while Entrepreneurial Income grew by 32% (+€92m) to €382m (See Table 1.2) in 2024.