DAFM breaks down number of goat herds per county
Figures showing a breakdown of the number of goat herds by size, along with the number of goats per county have been released by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
Goat census forms were issued to 1,483 registered herd keepers in December 2023 to form the national sheep and goat census.
The figure includes 118 newly activated goat herd numbers when compared to 2022.
Census returns were received from 1,075 registered goat keepers, representing a response rate of 72%.
A breakdown of the number of goat herds by size in 2022 and 2023 can be seen here:
| Herd Size | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 - 5 goats | 479 | 466 |
| 6 - 10 goats | 125 | 128 |
| 11 - 50 goats | 99 | 88 |
| 51 - 100 goats | 14 | 9 |
| 101 - 200 goats | 6 | 7 |
| 201 - 300 goats | 7 | 5 |
| 300 goats | 4 | 1 |
| Total | 734 | 704 |
Across the country, there were 7,303 goats recorded – a decrease of 21% (1,940 goats) on the December 2022 figure.
A total of 371 keepers declared that they had no goats at the time of the census and of those, 74 declared that they would not be re-entering goat farming.
DAFM stated that as in previous years most domestic goats are kept in very small herds on a non-commercial basis.
A breakdown of the total number of herds keeping goats by county in 2023 can be seen here:
| County | Total herds | % total herds | Total goats | % total goats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlow | 10 | 0.9% | 25 | 0.3% |
| Cavan | 28 | 2.6% | 88 | 1.2% |
| Clare | 46 | 4.3% | 568 | 7.8% |
| Cork | 150 | 14% | 592 | 8.1% |
| Donegal | 77 | 7.2% | 437 | 6% |
| Dublin | 23 | 2.1% | 185 | 2.5% |
| Galway | 72 | 6.7% | 569 | 7.8% |
| Kerry | 82 | 7.6% | 425 | 5.8% |
| Kildare | 22 | 2% | 211 | 2.9% |
| Kilkenny | 20 | 1.9% | 258 | 3.5% |
| Laois | 19 | 1.8% | 534 | 7.3% |
| Leitrim | 47 | 4.4% | 145 | 2% |
| Limerick | 22 | 2% | 75 | 1% |
| Longford | 20 | 1.9% | 409 | 5.6% |
| Louth | 16 | 1.5% | 275 | 3.8% |
| Mayo | 85 | 7.9% | 275 | 3.8% |
| Meath | 34 | 3.2% | 114 | 1.6% |
| Monaghan | 17 | 1.6% | 153 | 2.1% |
| Offaly | 17 | 1.6% | 20 | 0.3% |
| Roscommon | 39 | 3.6% | 214 | 2.9% |
| Sligo | 51 | 4.7% | 259 | 3.5% |
| Tipperary | 46 | 4.3% | 708 | 9.7% |
| Waterford | 36 | 3.3% | 214 | 2.9% |
| Westmeath | 22 | 2% | 170 | 2.3% |
| Wexford | 44 | 4.1% | 191 | 2.6% |
| Wicklow | 30 | 2.8% | 189 | 2.6% |
| Total | 1,075 | 100% | 7,303 | 100% |
The average goat herd size is 10 (down from 13 in 2022) and of the herds that submitted a census return, 574 (82%) keep fewer than this figure.
The greatest number of goats were kept in Co. Tipperary where 708 goats were recorded, followed by Cork with 592.
The lowest numbers can be seen in Co. Offaly where a total of 20 goats were recorded and in Co. Carlow, which has 25.
