DAFM: 62% of Irish herds have less than 50 cattle
Approximately 62% of Irish cattle herds have less than 50 cattle, according to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s (DAFM’s) Animal Identification and Movement System (AIMS) Bovine Statistics Report for 2024.
The report details that as of December 31, 2024, there were a total of 94,165 cattle herds in Ireland, with an average herd size of 65.5 cattle.
There were a total of 6,167,200 cattle in Ireland on this date.
Unsurprisingly, Cork is the county with the most cattle in Ireland, with 914,325 head of cattle on December 31, 2024, followed by Co. Tipperary with 581,588 cattle in the premier county on that date.
Key Irish herd size statistics as of December 31, 2024:
- 37,539 herds had fewer than 25 cattle;
- 20,651 herds had between 25 and 49 cattle;
- 10,842 herds had between 50 and 74 cattle;
- 6,774 herds had between 75 and 99 cattle;
- 7,817 herds had between 100 and 149 cattle;
- 10,542 herds had over 150 cattle.
Waterford is the county with the largest average herd size at 125.1 cattle, followed by Kilkenny, Tipperary, and Wexford at 124.6, 104.7, and 104.2 respectively.
The table below outlines a profile of the Irish herd size by county as of December 31, 2024:
| County | Cattle | Herds | Average herd size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlow | 94,385 | 1,086 | 86.9 |
| Cavan | 214,527 | 4,166 | 51.5 |
| Clare | 241,153 | 5,292 | 45.6 |
| Cork | 914,325 | 9,744 | 93.8 |
| Donegal | 172,754 | 4,524 | 38.2 |
| Dublin | 17,847 | 287 | 62.2 |
| Galway | 383,983 | 9,437 | 40.7 |
| Kerry | 289,408 | 5,362 | 54 |
| Kildare | 120,292 | 1,478 | 81.4 |
| Kilkenny | 317,355 | 2,547 | 124.6 |
| Laois | 227,916 | 2,379 | 95.8 |
| Leitrim | 61,983 | 2,506 | 24.7 |
| Limerick | 356,585 | 4,440 | 80.3 |
| Longford | 104,139 | 2,052 | 50.8 |
| Louth | 82,590 | 980 | 84.3 |
| Mayo | 231,942 | 7,488 | 31 |
| Meath | 263,928 | 2,953 | 89.4 |
| Monaghan | 202,403 | 3,673 | 55.1 |
| Offaly | 221,192 | 2,587 | 85.5 |
| Roscommon | 178,641 | 4,537 | 39.4 |
| Sligo | 95,076 | 2,839 | 33.5 |
| Tipperary | 581,588 | 5,556 | 104.7 |
| Waterford | 223,015 | 1,783 | 125.1 |
| Westmeath | 190,501 | 2,583 | 73.8 |
| Wexford | 269,066 | 2,583 | 104.2 |
| Wicklow | 110,606 | 1,303 | 84.9 |
| Total: | 6,167,200 | 94,165 | 65.5 |
Co. Galway has the highest number of herds below 25 cattle at 4,603 herds, while Co. Cork has the highest number of herds above 150 cattle at 1,960 herds.
