The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, or DARD as it is now called, was first formed very early in the history of Northern Ireland and took over many of the functions of the old Department of Agriculture, which was then headquartered in Dublin. It was recognised at that time, in the early 1920s, that a prosperous agriculture and the fledgling ancillary food industry were vital to the country s economic well-being. Little has changed in that respect and the contribution of the agri-food industry is still of major importance to the Northern Ireland economy. Most NI farms and associated businesses are livestock based, depending mainly on beef cattle, sheep and dairy cows. Although there has been a steady drift from the land, accelerated in recent years by low or negative profitability, many of these farms are still family owned and run, and there are relatively few large estates.
Few farms are available for long-term leasing.
Land is relatively scarce and consequently when farms do change hands, prices tend to be high. It is difficult therefore for young people to begin farming unless the farm is handed down to them or they have large resources from outside the industry. Thus the rural community is getting older and there is a drift into towns and cities, leaving many gaps in rural schools and churches. The local agri-food industry has seen vast changes over the last 80 years and change seems to be ever accelerating. The traditional small farm with many enterprises including growing of crops such as potatoes, cereals, flax and seeds has largely been superseded by more intensive farming, employing fewer people particularly on larger farms.