The results of the Department of Agriculture’s 2024 annual sheep and goat census confirm predictions of a significant reduction in the national ewe flock - with numbers falling by 94,477 head, or by 3.7%. This leaves the breeding ewe flock at 2.46m head and follows similar contraction in 2023.

The number of other sheep on farms on 31 December 2024, which are categorised as sheep excluding non-breeding ewes and breeding rams, fell by a smaller figure of 36,021 head, or 3.3% when compared to 12 months earlier.

There were many industry forecasts of a much greater reduction given hogget throughput is running in excess of 130,000 head lower.

While the number of breeding rams on farms was recorded at 82,119 head equating to a reduction of 637 head or a fall of less than 1%. With regards registered holdings with sheep on 31 December 2025, this figure fell by 714 holdings to 33,805.

Galway numbers plummet

Figure 1 details the number of breeding ewes per county and the percentage reduction on the previous year.

Breeding ewe numbers fell in every county in 2024. They fell by the greatest numerical figure of 14,296 head in Galway. This is the only county that recorded a five digit figure reduction and follows a similar reduction of 13,762 head in 2023.

The number of breeding ewes in Roscommon also recorded a worrying decline or 9,269 head, again nearly equivalent to the previous year. This reduction is a higher percentage fall than in Galway of 8%.

A number of other counties with smaller flocks also recorded a fall in excess of 8% including Meath, Kildare and Offaly, while Wexford, Monaghan, Kilkenny and Dublin topped 7%.

The lowest percentage reduction was in Sligo where breeding ewe numbers reduced by 0.7% or 725 head. Limerick recorded the lowest numerical reduction of 652 head and at 12,304 head remains the county with the smallest breeding ewe flock.

Other sheep

As detailed in Table 1, Galway also recorded by far the greatest reduction in the other sheep category with the reduction again topping five figure at 10,979 head. It was followed next by Kerry with 5,466 fewer sheep.

In contrast, Donegal possessed 4,069 more sheep in this category. It was joined by Kildare, Tipperary and Waterford in recording a year-on-year increase albeit at a much lower level.

Significant changes

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine highlighted the following factors as being significant in the 2025 sheep census.

  • Overall, the greatest number of sheep were kept in Donegal with a sheep population of 524,853.
  • Limerick recorded the fewest number of sheep (17,287) – just 0.5% of the total population.
  • 49.1% (1,762,664) of the total population are classified as mountain/ mountain cross breeds. 50.9% of all sheep recorded (1,828,976) were classified as lowland /lowland cross breeds.
  • The greatest number of mountain sheep, 222,050, were kept in Mayo.
  • The greatest number of mountain cross sheep, 119,299, were kept in Donegal.
  • The smallest number of mountain sheep was recorded in Clare (618), with Limerick keeping the smallest number of mountain cross breeds (2,301).
  • The greatest number of lowland (113,341) and lowland cross (134.554) breeds were in Galway.
  • The smallest number of lowland sheep were recorded in Dublin (4,708), with Limerick recording the smallest number of lowland cross breeds (4,090).
  • Of the 33,805 flocks keeping sheep, the average flock size was 106 compared to an average flock size of 108 in 2023.
  • A total of 69% of flocks (23,260) kept fewer than the national average of 106.