Dairy strongholds in South increase cattle numbers over past decade

Dairy strongholds in counties Waterford, Cork, Tipperary and Wexford have all added to their number of cattle per farm over the past decade, according to the 2010 CSO Census of Agriculture.

While average herd size has fallen dramatically to below 40 cattle per farm in counties like Dublin and Kildare, the number exceeds 50 in Waterford and Cork, with other neighbouring counties in the South and South-East all having comparable numbers, as indicated by the CSO’s preliminary findings.

The widening gap becomes more evident when you compare the Border, Midland and Western region’s overall steady average of around 28 cows for both the census of 2000 and that of 2010, with the South and South-East overall average rise from 41 to 45 cows per farm over the ten years.