National Sheep and Goat Census

December 2014

Council Regulation (EC) No. 21/2004 obliges all Member States to carry out an

annual census of sheep and goats. This national census is the tenth such census

since the first census was carried out in December 2005.

Sheep

Sheep census forms for 2014 were sent to 42,903 registered sheep flock-keepers

on this Department’s database and returns were received from 38,982 which

represents a response rate of 91%. A total of 4,433 respondents had no sheep in

December 2014 with 1,117 of this number indicating that they do not intend to

return to sheep farming in the near future. The overall number of flock owners who

declared that they had sheep in December 2014 was 34,549 which is an increase

of 245 (approx 1%) on the December 2013 figure of 34,304.

Census returns indicate that at December 2014 Ireland had 3.58 million sheep

(3,581,818) in 34,549 flocks including 2.42 million breeding ewes over 12 months

of age. There was an average of 104 sheep per flock compared to 103 sheep per

flock in 2013. A total of 69% of flocks contain sheep numbers below the average

flock size which is 1% higher than the figure for the preceding 3 years.

The total number of sheep declared in December 2014 represents an increase of

approximately 50,000 (1%) on the number declared in December 2013.

Number of Sheep and Number of Flocks by County

December 2014

County No. of

Flocks Avg

Flock Size

Breeding Ewes over 12 Months Old

Rams Other Sheep

Total Sheep

Carlow 725 149 73,038 2,277 32,992 108,307

Cavan 881 73 42,707 1,608 19,679 63,994

Clare 591 39 15,009 723 7,313 23,045

Cork 1,760 97 118,869 3,726 48,692 171,287

Donegal 5,607 80 305,651 10,870 132,054 448,575

Dublin 192 120 16,363 592 5,993 22,948

Galway 4,148 96 266,620 9,536 121,833 397,989

Kerry 2,365 130 231,490 6,155 69,271 306,916

Kildare 676 165 72,201 3,374 36,160 111,735

Kilkenny 535 129 45,993 1,375 21,612 68,980

Laois 458 113 32,450 1,171 18,052 51,673

Leitrim 1,022 95 70,093 2,266 24,561 96,920

Limerick 242 88 13,199 428 7,565 21,192

Longford 419 82 22,402 840 10,943 34,185

Louth 358 143 33,270 1,090 16,687 51,047

Mayo 4,674 82 275,376 8,595 99,301 383,272

Meath 1,044 143 98,604 3,287 47,151 149,042

Monaghan 463 93 24,377 1,121 17,616 43,114

Offaly 583 131 44,494 1,394 30,625 76,513

Roscommon 1,758 101 117,310 3,657 56,922 177,889

Sligo 1,498 80 86,600 3,088 29,728 119,416

Tipperary 972 126 75,842 2,568 44,439 122,849

Waterford 438 147 44,995 1,309 17,871 64,175

Westmeath 757 106 53,684 1,874 24,620 80,178

Wexford 1,112 142 90,085 2,814 65,037 157,936

Wicklow 1,271 180 149,652 4,694 74,295 228,641

TOTAL 34,549 104 2,420,374 80,432 1,081,012 3,581,818

108,307

63,994

23,045

171,287

448,575

22,948397,989

306,916

111,735

68,980

51,673

96,920

21,192

34,185

51,047383,272

149,042

43,114

76,513

177,889

119,416

122,849

64,175

80,178

157,936

228,641

December 2014

725

881

591

1,760

5,607

1924,148

2,365

676

535

458

1,022

242

419

3584,674

1,044

463

583

1,758

1,498

972

438

757

1,112

1,271

December 2014

Number of Flocks within certain Flock Sizes

The distribution of the national flocks in terms of flock sizes has remained relatively

stable over the last number of years as can be seen from the attached tables.

Number of Flocks within certain Flock Sizes

Flock Size 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

1 – 50

15,547

15,417

15,190

14,391

14,976

14,436

14,392

14,393

14,676

14,579

51 – 100

8,966

8,479

8,071

7,584

7,722

7,872

8,192

8,232

8,518

8,667

101 – 150

4,857

4,442

4,189

3,918

3,863

3,913

4,397

4,466

4,354

4,436

151 – 200

2,737

2,500

2,354

2,156

2,037

2,074

2,350

2,353

2,306

2,347

201 – 300

2,659

2,347

2,092

1,959

1,959

2,184

2,412

2,388

2,339

2,428

301 – 400

1,121

989

842

831

792

822

941

1,067

999

984

401 – 500

547

454

402

386

379

381

457

480

466

447

>500

775

649

537

531

504

494

625

669

646

661

Total Flocks

37,209

35,277

33,677

31,756

32,232

32,176

33,766

34,048

34,304

34,549

% of Flocks within certain Flock Sizes

Flock Size 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

1 – 50 41.8% 43.7% 45.1% 45.3% 46.5% 44.9% 42.6% 42.3% 42.8% 42.2%

51 – 100 24.1% 24.0% 24.0% 23.9% 24.0% 24.5% 24.3% 24.2% 24.8% 25.1%

101 – 150 13.1% 12.6% 12.4% 12.3% 12.0% 12.2% 13.0% 13.1% 12.7% 12.8%

151 – 200 7.4% 7.1% 7.0% 6.8% 6.3% 6.4% 7.0% 6.9% 6.7% 6.8%

201 – 300 7.1% 6.7% 6.2% 6.2% 6.1% 6.8% 7.1% 7.0% 6.8% 7.0%

301 – 400 3.0% 2.8% 2.5% 2.6% 2.5% 2.6% 2.8% 3.1% 2.9% 2.9%

401 – 500 1.5% 1.3% 1.2% 1.2% 1.2% 1.2% 1.4% 1.4% 1.4% 1.3%

>500 2.1% 1.8% 1.6% 1.7% 1.6% 1.5% 1.9% 2.0% 1.9% 1.9%

Goats

Goat census returns were received from 1,014 keepers who had a total of 15,638

goats in December 2014. This is an increase of approximately 3,500 goats or 28%

on the December 2013 figure of 12,182.

The increase in the number of goats and goat keepers recorded over the last two

years arises from the introduction of a combined sheep & goat census return form

in 2013. The combined form identified many registered sheep keepers who were

also keeping small numbers of goats but they were not registered goat keepers.

These particular keepers would not have been issued with a goat census form to

complete in previous years and the overall number of goats recorded in previous

years is therefore likely to have been underestimated. The average number of

goats per herd in December 2014 was 15 compared to 13 in December 2013.

Number of Goats and Number of Goat Herds by Size of Herd

Goat Herds with

2013 2014

1 - 5 goats 699 74% 734 72%

6 - 10 goats 97 10% 100 10%

11 - 50 goats 98 10% 110 11%

51 - 100 goats 30 3% 33 3%

101 - 200 goats 5 1% 16 2%

201 - 300 goats 8 1% 15 1%

> 300 goats 8 1% 6 1%

Total 945 100% 1,014 100%

Total Goats in herds with

2013 2014

1 - 5 goats 1,551 13% 1,693 11%

6 - 10 goats 716 6% 745 5%

11 - 50 goats 2,079 17% 2,429 15%

51 - 100 goats 2,115 17% 2,529 16%

101 - 200 goats 680 6% 2,285 15%

201 - 300 goats 2,015 17% 3,814 24%

> 300 goats 3,026 25% 2,143 14%

Total 12,182 100% 15,638 100%

Total Number of Goats and Number of Goat Herds by County 2014

County Number of

Herds % of Total

Herds Number of

Goats % of Total

Goats

Carlow 16 1.6% 324 2.1%

Cavan 45 4.4% 614 3.9%

Clare 41 4.0% 766 4.9%

Cork 105 10.4% 696 4.5%

Donegal 100 9.9% 1862 11.9%

Dublin 14 1.4% 195 1.2%

Galway 70 6.9% 1482 9.5%

Kerry 68 6.7% 1174 7.5%

Kildare 34 3.4% 228 1.5%

Kilkenny 21 2.1% 353 2.3%

Laois 17 1.7% 89 0.6%

Leitrim 31 3.1% 223 1.4%

Limerick 18 1.8% 59 0.4%

Longford 23 2.3% 518 3.3%

Louth 21 2.1% 412 2.6%

Mayo 88 8.7% 1263 8.1%

Meath 41 4.0% 1,439 9.2%

Monaghan 15 1.5% 61 0.4%

Offaly 16 1.6% 285 1.8%

Roscommon 34 3.4% 428 2.7%

Sligo 44 4.3% 663 4.2%

Tipperary 44 4.3% 883 5.6%

Waterford 16 1.6% 124 0.8%

Westmeath 22 2.2% 418 2.7%

Wexford 38 3.7% 428 2.7%

Wicklow 32 3.2% 651 4.2%

Total

1,014 100% 15,638 100%