Grassland accounted for 58.5% of total land use in Ireland in 2017, down from an average annual 60.7% in 1990-1994. The area under forest increased from an average annual 7.3% in 1990-1994 to 10.8% in 2017. Land under settlement was 1.7% in 2017.

Forestry accounted for 11.0% of Ireland’s total land area in 2016, the second lowest among EU Member States after Malta. Finland had the highest proportion of land area under forest at 73.1% in 2016.

The area of agricultural land farmed organically in Ireland increased by 192% between 1997-1999 and 2017, when it accounted for 68,500 hectares or 1.5% of the total agricultural land.

Land used for organic farming in Ireland accounted for 1.5% of total agricultural land in 2017 – the second lowest percentage among EU Member States. Austria, with 22.8%, had the highest proportion of agricultural land farmed organically in the EU28 in 2017, and Malta the lowest at 0.4%.

Total fertiliser sales in Ireland fell from an average annual 2.1 million tonnes in 1981-1984 to 1.3 million tonnes in 2017.

Lime is the most commonly used fertiliser in the State. Sales fell from an average annual 1.6 million tonnes in 1981-1984 to 737,000 tonnes in 2017.

The sale of nitrogen fertilisers in Ireland increased from an average annual 298,000 tonnes in 1981-1984 to 379,000 tonnes in 2017.

Potash fertiliser sales fell from an average annual 154,000 tonnes in 1981-1984 to 112,000 tonnes in 2017. Phosphorous fertiliser sales fell from an average annual 64,000 tonnes in 1981-1984 to 43,000 tonnes in 2017.

Ireland had the eight highest level of fertiliser sales among EU Member States in 2017 at 107.6 tonnes per 1,000 hectares of agricultural land. The Belgo-Luxembourg Economic Union had the highest level of sales at 176.4 and Portugal had the lowest at 30 tonnes per 1,000 hectares of agricultural land.

Cattle numbers in Ireland during 1980 to 2018 fluctuated between 6.5 million in 1988 and 7.6 million in 1998. The 2018 figure was 7.3 million, slightly down on the 2017 figure of 7.4 million.

Sheep numbers have fluctuated more widely. In 1980 there were 3.3 million sheep in Ireland. This number peaked in 1992 at 8.9 million. In 2018 there were 5.1 million sheep in the State, down slightly from 5.2 million in 2017.

Pig numbers have increased from 1 million in 1980 to a peak of 1.8 million in 1998. In 2018 there were 1.6 million pigs in the State, slightly higher than in 2017.

In December 2018 Ireland had the fourth highest number of cattle in the EU, with 7.5% of the total. France had the highest proportion of cattle numbers, with 21.2% of the EU total.

Ireland had 1.1% of the total pig population in the EU in December 2018. Spain had the highest proportion of pig numbers in the EU with 20.8% of the total.

The number of new dwelling completions in Ireland increased by 229% from an average annual number of 5,500 units in 2011-2014 to 18,072 in 2018. In 2018, 61% of these units were part of housing schemes, 26% were single houses and 13% were apartments.