Northern Ireland Farm Census: Livestock, Land Use, and Labour by Electoral Area

Farm census statistics for Northern Ireland have been collected since 1847, providing a long-term view of agricultural trends. The data covers all farm businesses, detailing livestock counts, land area, crop types, and farm labour composition at the District Electoral Area level. It is used by a wide variety of stakeholders to understand the nature of farming in the region.

Use Cases

• Analyzing livestock density and distribution based on counts of cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry.
• Comparing farm size and economic structure using the number of very small, small, medium, and large farms.
• Assessing agricultural labour markets from data on farmers, self-employed workers, spouses, and other workers.
• Mapping land use patterns from the area farmed, crops, and grass hectares.
• Evaluating policy impacts in Less Favourable Areas (LFA) versus Non-LFA farms.

Strengths

• Census coverage of all farm businesses in Northern Ireland, providing a complete picture.
• Data collection began in 1847, offering potential for long-term historical analysis.
• Data is supplemented with administrative records from the Animal and Public Health Information System (APHIS).

Limitations

• Key metadata like row count, file size, and specific column names are unknown across all sources.
• The most recent update date (2026-04-15) appears to be a future date, casting doubt on data freshness.
• Descriptions are identical across platforms, suggesting potential syndication without independent verification.

Provenance

Source

Government Digital Service (UK), Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) Northern Ireland.

Collection Method

Collected directly from farm businesses through a survey and supplemented with administrative data from APHIS.

Time Range

1847 to present (historical data available)

Freshness

2026-04-15 14:20:52.118672

Geography

Northern Ireland, disaggregated by District Electoral Area (DEA).