The number of herds in the country with bovines reduced by approximately 6,000 over the last decade.
The stats included in the 2021 AIM Bovine Statistics Report reports that 3,400 herds exited cattle farming in the last five years.
The total number of herds with cattle dropped below the 100,000 herds mark for the first time since the inaugural bovine statistics report was published in 2022.
The report says the reduction in herd numbers has occurred most in smaller-sized herds.
It cites that, in 2011, there were 44,000 herds with fewer than 25 bovine animals and this has now reduced to 38,000 herds in that category.
Higher herd size
Meanwhile, growth in the national dairy herd over the last decade is underpinning an increase in the average herd size.
Much of the growth in the national herd over th last decade occurred between 2011 and 2021.
The average herd size across all production systems stood at 55.3 animals in 2011. This has increased gradually, rising to 58.1 animals in 2014, 62 animals in 2016, 63.8 animals in 2019 and 65.5 animals in 2021.
The average size of herds has increased by 10 animals.
The overall size of the national herd, at 6,541,111 head, has grown by almost 12% since 2011.
As can be seen in the graph below, this growth was confined mainly to the period 2011 to 2017.
Much of the growth in the national herd over th last decade occurred between 2011 and 2021.
Numbers since then have eased back, partly due to lower suckler births and higher live exports in certain years, before increasing marginally between 2020 and 2021.
Numbers have increased over the last decade, but are still similar to peak numbers in the mid-1980s before the introduction of milk quotas.
The number of herds in the country with bovines reduced by approximately 6,000 over the last decade.
The stats included in the 2021 AIM Bovine Statistics Report reports that 3,400 herds exited cattle farming in the last five years.
The total number of herds with cattle dropped below the 100,000 herds mark for the first time since the inaugural bovine statistics report was published in 2022.
The report says the reduction in herd numbers has occurred most in smaller-sized herds.
It cites that, in 2011, there were 44,000 herds with fewer than 25 bovine animals and this has now reduced to 38,000 herds in that category.
Higher herd size
Meanwhile, growth in the national dairy herd over the last decade is underpinning an increase in the average herd size.
Much of the growth in the national herd over th last decade occurred between 2011 and 2021.
The average herd size across all production systems stood at 55.3 animals in 2011. This has increased gradually, rising to 58.1 animals in 2014, 62 animals in 2016, 63.8 animals in 2019 and 65.5 animals in 2021.
The average size of herds has increased by 10 animals.
The overall size of the national herd, at 6,541,111 head, has grown by almost 12% since 2011.
As can be seen in the graph below, this growth was confined mainly to the period 2011 to 2017.
Much of the growth in the national herd over th last decade occurred between 2011 and 2021.
Numbers since then have eased back, partly due to lower suckler births and higher live exports in certain years, before increasing marginally between 2020 and 2021.
Numbers have increased over the last decade, but are still similar to peak numbers in the mid-1980s before the introduction of milk quotas.
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