§ Dr. StrangTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the average size of farm holding in the less-favoured areas as sampled by(a) the most recent farm business survey and (b) the most up-to-date and comprehensive data he has available, by county and in Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. AncramThe farm business survey does not contain very small farms and data are not available at county level. The only farm type identified by their1052W less-favoured area status are those on which cattle and sheep are the dominant enterprises. The average size of farm in these categories in the 1992–93 survey was 93 hectares.
In the June 1993 agricultural census in Northern Ireland, the average sizes of all active holdings in the less-favoured areas were:
County All farms in the LFA Average size (ha) All cattle and sheep LFA farms Average size (ha) Antrim 43.8 45.7 Armagh 22.2 20.2 Down 27.8 25.3 Fermanagh 34.9 34.5 Londonderry 42.9 44.5 Tyrone 36.0 35.4 Northern Ireland 35.2 35.0 For farms similar to those covered in the farm business survey, the average size was 63 hectares.