§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table in theOfficial Reportto show his estimate of the(a)net income and(b) gross income of farmers in Northern Ireland in cash and in real terms for each year or, if more convenient, financial year since 1977.
§ Mr. Viggers[holding answer 17 January 1989]: Information is not available in the form requested but details of a pre-tax net farm income series and of gross output are given in current prices and in real terms:
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Net farm income1 Gross output2 Calendar year At current prices £ million Index in real terms (Base 1985=100) At current prices £ million Index in real terms (Base 1985 = 100) 1977 64.4 177 443.0 121 1978 61.1 155 496.1 125 1979 33.5 75 526.4 117 1980 14.3 28 544.6 103 1981 58.0 98 601.2 101 1982 87.8 137 662.7 103 1983 91.2 136 730.9 108 1984 132.7 189 774.5 109 1985 74.5 100 750.4 100 1986 60.9 79 751.8 97 1987 113.8 142 779.3 96 1 Net farm income measures the returns to farmers and their spouses for their own labour and management effort and on their own capital investments. It is the residual after deducting from gross output variable input costs, depreciation, interest on borrowed capital and labour costs.
2Gross output is the value of sales of farm produce outside the agricultural sector i.e. it excludes inter-farm sales. Production grants and subsidies paid on sale are included. Also, an adjustment is made for changes in stocks of livestock and crops on farms between the beginning and the end of the year.
A forecast net farm income figure for 1988 will be published by the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland at the beginning of February 1989.