§ Mr. William Rossasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been in actual and constant sums the total net income of Northern Ireland farmers in each of the last four financial years; and what is the estimate for the current financial year.
§ Mr. Adam ButlerEstimates of farming income for the years 1977 to 1980 together with an index of farming income after deflation by the United Kingdom general index of retail prices re-based to 1977 = 100 are given below:
212W
Estimates of Farming Income (£ million) Index of "Deflated" Income (1977 = 100) 1977 70.4 100 1978 68.9 90 1979 37.0 43 1980 14.1 14 A provisional estimate of farming for 1981 is in course of preparation. The indications are that there was, in 1981, a substantial improvement from the very low figure of the previous year. However, farming income for 1981 is unlikely to have reached the levels of 1976 to 1978 even in current money terms.