Average income per agricultural worker in the UK rose last year despite falling 1.7% across the EU.
The reduction in average income was stronger in the EU-15 than in countries that joined the Union in or after 2004.
The United Kingdom, which was the fourth best performing member state, posted an increase of 6.9%.
Despite the recovery from the low point in 2009, real factor income for EU agriculture is characterised by a long-term downward trend. The level reached in 2014 is about 11% lower than in the year 2000.
The estimate for Finland shows the highest decrease(-22.8%), mostly due to a significant drop in the output value of animal products (-17.7%).
While the value of milk production in Finland only suffered a 2.7% decline, real milk prices fell by 5.5%
Agricultural income is calculated by subtracting from the value of agricultural output at basic prices the value of intermediate consumption (variable production costs), the consumption of fixed capital and production taxes, and adding the value of production subsidies.
The effect of the Russian import ban on prices for fruit and vegetables, meat and milk is starting to become visible from the first estimates of the report.
At the level of the EU, the real price level for fruits fell by 10.7%, decreasing most strongly in Poland.
Prices for fresh vegetables declined by 6.5% in the EU. Estonia and Poland being the countries most affected by this.
The European Commission document said: “Agricultural income in 2014 was still about 33% higher than in the crisis year 2009.
“Despite the recovery from the low point in 2009, real factor income for EU agriculture is characterised by a long-term downward trend. The level reached in 2014 is about 11% lower than in the year 2000.”
