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Crops, Livestock & Dairy

7.4 m
Cattle numbers up 2.0% on 2016

This chapter contains information on crops and livestock numbers in Ireland for the period 1847 to 2017. The statistics are drawn from CSO surveys and administrative data from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Livestock Slaughterings provides details on the number of cattle, sheep and pigs slaughtered. These figures include slaughterings at both meat establishments approved by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and slaughterhouses and meat plants approved by Local Authorities under S.I. 432 of 2009. The chapter also presents information on domestic milk intake by creameries and pasteurisers.

Table 23.1 Area under crops and pasture in June
Hectares (thousands)
Crop201520162017
Total wheat65.367.967.0
    Winter55.360.460.3
    Spring10.17.56.8
Total oats23.423.224.4
    Winter11.413.214.4
    Spring12.110.010.0
Total barley202.8189.2180.2
    Winter69.874.665.0
    Spring133.0114.6115.2
Other cereals0.90.80.8
Total cereals292.4281.1272.4
   
Total crops, fruit and horticulture359.7351.7345.1
   
Silage1,071.11,066.81,206.4
Hay195.7188.4211.8
Pasture2,299.42,307.82,177.3
   
Crops and pasture3,926.03,914.83,940.6
   
Rough grazing in use503.6532.4530.0
   
Area farmed4,429.54,447.24,470.5
Source: CSO and Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Interactive table: StatBank link

The total area farmed in 2017 was 4.5 million hectares. Crops, fruit and horticulture accounted for 8% of that area, silage for 27%, hay for 5%, pasture for 49% and rough grazing for 12%.

Open in Excel:
Wheat Oats BarleyPotatoes
184727262512089
1848245566119258
1849243584127219
1850213619118275
1851173641126270
1852125672109275
1853113639113279
185414359695308
185515561289309
185618158871345
185719256581359
185818556174360
185915756869374
186015756071361
186113357478349
186211856576311
18638756669315
18649652670322
18659349672330
186610248861323
18678847569308
18689348675320
18698748190320
18708046197319
18717445889322
18726645188301
18735041592272
18745740385270
18754740893272
18763540788266
18774240390262
18784838097254
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18804537887247
18814738383257
18824638574252
18832738173242
18841937167240
18852036371239
18861936572239
18871836265238
18882934868239
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18902832973232
18912432871222
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18931633667212
18941434066211
18951032969208
18961131869206
18971331368199
18981531363195
18991530167194
19001529369191
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19021328767183
19031129363181
1904928763179
19051128362177
19061328770178
19071229067172
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19091427664167
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19111528463172
19121528166170
19131128468168
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19174342071210
19185545774205
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19201836682170
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19301126147140
1931825247140
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19332025748138
19343823658139
19356624956136
193610322653135
19378923253132
19389323148132
193910321730128
194012427654148
194118731766173
194223335575172
194320637985165
194426038368167
194526833869157
194626033658158
194723533459155
194821035648156
194914727864142
195014824950136
195111425168130
195210324791125
195314323176125
195419721666118
195514522186116
195613721296115
1957164186124108
1958170185125106
1959114187135105
196014817213395
196114014914686
196212714016485
19639413417483
19648711718474
19657411518871
1966539818768
1967769618365
1968908818459
1969827719855
1970956821457
1971916023552
1972685225244
1973585024348
1974574724642
1975454924541
1976504025947
1977483529853
1978503132541
1979502835041
1980532536642
1981492335436
1982572332637
1983592330533
1984772629235
1985782528432
1986752326530
1987562325529
1988592324227
1989612223725
1990702220724
1991862119320
1992912018422
1993792018122
1994742117021
1995712017922
1996862118124
1997942119018
1998841919119
1999682019218
2000781718214
2001851718214
20021031917615
2003962118314
20041032018413
2005951716412
2006882016712
2007842116812
20081112318711
2009852019412
2010782017512
2011942118110
201298241939
2013612721911
2014721921610
201565232039
201668231899
201767241809
23.2 Area under selected crops 1847-2017

Interactive tables: StatBank link

The combined area under cereals (wheat, oats and barley) in 2017 was 271,000 hectares (ha) compared to 1,017,000 hectares in 1847. In 1847, oats accounted for 61% of the area of cereals grown. However, by 2017 this had fallen to almost 9% and instead, barley made up 66% of the area under cereals.

The potato crop is associated with one of the most tragic events in Ireland's history - the famine of the late 1840's when millions of Irish people died of starvation or emigrated. The potato blight in 1846 caused the area under potatoes to be untypically low at 89,000 ha in 1847 due to a lack of potato seed. By 1848 the potato acreage had recovered to 258,000 ha. The area of potatoes sown peaked in 1859 at 374,000 ha. The area under potatoes in 2017 was only 9,000 ha.

Table 23.3 Number of livestock in June
Thousands
Description201520162017
Total cattle6,963.57,221.27,363.5
   Bulls36.525.016.9
   Dairy cows1,295.81,397.91,432.7
   Other cows1,075.81,103.71,081.0
   Other cattle4,555.54,694.64,832.9
    
Total sheep5,138.75,179.25,197.1
   Rams75.877.878.4
   Ewes2,488.12,505.02,515.2
   Other sheep2,574.92,596.42,603.6
    
Total pigs1,536.91,594.31,556.9
   Boars1.41.41.3
   Female breeding pigs147.8148.5143.4
   Other pigs1,387.61,444.41,412.2
    
Horses and ponies93.192.284.9
Mules, jennets and asses8.99.210.8
Goats10.89.98.3
Source: CSO and Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine 

Interactive table: StatBank link

5.2 m
Sheep numbers up 0.3% on 2016
1.6 m
Pig numbers down 2.3% on 2016
Open in Excel:
CattleSheepPigs
184720052046542
184821061818530
184921091632637
185022521725751
185123271971902
185224572448876
185326952959920
1854279235071096
185528473393994
185628683477759
1857290232401029
1858295532971207
1859306233911034
1860289833501049
186128033358932
186226173270954
186325393138913
186426363181896
1865283434891097
1866302240291236
1867299645461050
186829534580751
186930314350922
1870308140651221
1871319939481325
1872326839641160
187333614180891
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1875334639881029
1876334237651165
1877323837391221
1878327138471068
187933383779892
188032123341728
188132683051924
1882328328801170
1883336730161139
1884338430591071
1885346732611036
1886342331321033
1887341231171146
1888334733501111
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1890350139551286
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189237164396905
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1894361737411116
1895357535631093
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1899371839831129
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1911395035431160
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191341343273895
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191840933218859
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192243752794938
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1927404731201178
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192941373375945
1930403835151052
1931402935751227
1932402534611108
193341373405931
193440862931968
1935401930421088
1936401430621017
193739553000934
193840563197959
193940573048931
1940402330711049
194141502909764
194240842693519
194341362560434
194442462663381
194542112581426
194641462423479
194739502094457
194839212058457
194941272192675
195043222385645
195143762616558
195243092857719
195343972930882
195445043113958
195544833269799
195645373439747
195744173720900
195844664174948
195946844412852
196047414314951
1961471345281056
1962474246711111
1963486046911102
1964496249501108
1965535950141266
1966559046641013
196755864239985
1968557240771063
1969568840061116
1970595640821192
1971617741631322
1972652742081199
1973711341841108
197474133962923
197571683683796
197669543475925
197771243534939
1978709834271031
1979709333921103
1980690932921030
1981674434021021
1982672835711057
1983681038681081
1984680640741036
1985681944871004
1986661650121003
198765455595999
1988646466561014
1989664276251067
1990681685391194
1991691288881304
1992695188981386
1993698286271522
1994699684041530
1995703483311550
1996731478881621
1997753381321700
1998764083121819
1999738779251787
2000703775551722
2001705073301743
2002699272101785
2003700068491726
2004701667771653
2005 1699263921688
2006697859731643
2007689155221588
2008690250611462
2009689147781385
2010660747451516
2011649348301549
2012675451701571
2013690350071553
2014692650971555
2015696451391537
2016722151791594
2017736451971557
Table 23.4 Number of cattle, sheep and pigs 1847-2017

Interactive table: StatBank link

Cattle numbers have more than trebled since the Famine. Since 1847 the number of cattle have increased consistently, peaking at 7.64 million in 1998. Cattle numbers in 2017 stand at 7.36 million.

The number of sheep in Ireland peaked at 8.90 million in 1992 and since then numbers have fallen sharply to just 5.20 million in 2017.

The number of pigs in 1847 stood at 0.54 million compared to 1.56 million in 2017. The number of pigs peaked in 1998 at 1.82 million.

Table 23.5 Livestock slaughterings
000 head
 2005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017
Cattle1,6851,7741,7711,6651,6001,7161,6421,4841,5891,7491,6651,7441,852
Pigs2,6562,6582,6152,5782,4212,6572,9052,9722,9043,0433,2263,3173,355
Sheep3,6133,4883,2642,9192,7302,3832,4102,6912,8742,8372,8332,8923,183
Source: CSO

Interactive table: StatBank link

Cattle slaughterings in 2017 increased by over 6% in comparison to 2016.

Pig slaughterings in 2017 increased by over 1% and Sheep slaughterings increased by over 10% in comparison to 2016.

Open in Excel:
X-axis labelDairy Cows% Change
201311632002.0
201412264005.4
201512958005.7
201613979007.9
201714327002.5

Interactive table: Statbank link 

The number of dairy cows increased by over 23% in the period 2013 to 2017. 

In the years leading up to and since the abolition of the milk quota in 2015, a steady year-on-year increase in the number of dairy cows on Irish farms has been observed.

The number of dairy cows in 2017 was 1,432,700, an increase of 2.5% on 2016.

Open in Excel:
X-axis labelDomestic Milk Intake% Change
20135422.73.6
20145648.54.2
20156395.213.2
20166653.94
20177262.59.1

Interactive table: Statbank link

The domestic milk intake increased by just under 34% in the period 2013 to 2017. 

In 2017, the estimated domestic milk intake in litres by creameries and pasteurisers in Ireland was 7,262,500 litres, an increase of over 9% on 2016.

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