Almost 80% of farmers have made a farm purchase online according to a survey carried out by Mayo-based farm machinery parts, spares and tools wholesaler, Genfitt.
The survey, which was facilitated by Agriland Media Group, will contribute to the annual Genfitt Knowledge Report 2023 on the state of the agricultural sector in Ireland.
It is the seventh consecutive year that Genfitt will issue its Knowledge Report which gives an indication of performance trends in the Irish agricultural sector.
Survey findings
The survey ran over the period July 21 to August 4, 2023, with more than 3,600 respondents with 38% of those who responded in the age bracket of 45-59 years of age.
Almost half (46%) of respondents to the survey classified themselves as a ‘farm owner’ and 43% stated that they were beef farmers.
48% of those surveyed categorise themselves as full-time workers, whereas 52% said they were working part-time.
Overall, the survey revealed that respondents rank the Irish agri marketplace a 6.2 out of 10 on a scale where 0 = terrible and 10 = great.
According to the survey, the top three biggest negative concerns to farming in 2023 were weather, the cost of living and the cost of fertiliser.
Meanwhile, 77% said they had made a farm purchase online, however only 64% said they had not made a mart purchase (of livestock) online.
Regarding the outlook for the future of farming in 2024, the average score was 5.8 out of 10, on a scale where 0 = terrible and 10 = great.
This is a slightly more pessimistic view than what was revealed in the Genfitt Knowledge Report for the previous year.