Sheep Farming

Sheep roaming on Achill Island

Sheep breeds kept on the hill areas are a hardier type of sheep more suitable to the tough conditions. This picture was taken on Achill island, off the coast of Co Mayo. Sheep wander the roads as they graze commonage land shared by multiple farmers. Each farmer makes their own sheep with a distinctive colour and sheepdogs are essential in order to gather the sheep for management tasks. Sheep farmers in some mountain regions now market their distinctive lamb direct to consumers (www.ringofkerryqualitylamb.ie and www.connemarahilllamb.ie)

Copyright Irish Farmers Journal

Sheep roaming on Achill Island
Copyright Irish Farmers Journal

Sheep roaming on Achill Island

Sheep breeds kept on the hill areas are a hardier type of sheep more suitable to the tough conditions. This picture was taken on Achill island, off the coast of Co Mayo. Sheep wander the roads as they graze commonage land shared by multiple farmers. Each farmer makes their own sheep with a distinctive colour and sheepdogs are essential in order to gather the sheep for management tasks. Sheep farmers in some mountain regions now market their distinctive lamb direct to consumers (www.ringofkerryqualitylamb.ie and www.connemarahilllamb.ie)

Copyright Irish Farmers Journal

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Ewe and lamb

Lambs are born in springtime after a gestation period inside the ewe of five months. Newborn lambs weigh about five kilograms and feed from their mothers’ milk for about 14 weeks. A ewe can only feed two lambs at a time and most ewes will produce one or two lambs per year. However, some ewes will produce three or four lambs and, in this case, lambs may have to be adopted by another ewe.

Copyright Irish Farmers Journal

Ewe and lamb
Copyright Irish Farmers Journal

Ewe and lamb

Lambs are born in springtime after a gestation period inside the ewe of five months. Newborn lambs weigh about five kilograms and feed from their mothers’ milk for about 14 weeks. A ewe can only feed two lambs at a time and most ewes will produce one or two lambs per year. However, some ewes will produce three or four lambs and, in this case, lambs may have to be adopted by another ewe.

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Map of Ireland showing sheep numbers by county

This graphic shows the number of sheep per county in 2010 and the percentage change on 2009. For example, Kerry had 274,564 sheep at the 2010 census, a 2.16% increase on the previous year. The larger circles illustrate the larger county totals, with Donegal the most significant, at 387,057 sheep. The top counties – Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Kerry and Wicklow all have one thing in common – upland/mountain land. In these areas, sheep are the only enterprise suitable for the terrain.

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Map of Ireland showing sheep numbers by county
Copyright Irish Farmers Journal

Map of Ireland showing sheep numbers by county

This graphic shows the number of sheep per county in 2010 and the percentage change on 2009. For example, Kerry had 274,564 sheep at the 2010 census, a 2.16% increase on the previous year. The larger circles illustrate the larger county totals, with Donegal the most significant, at 387,057 sheep. The top counties – Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Kerry and Wicklow all have one thing in common – upland/mountain land. In these areas, sheep are the only enterprise suitable for the terrain.

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In 2016, there were 5.1 million sheep in Ireland across 36,800 farms, representing an average flock size of 140 sheep per farm. The highest number of sheep was in the West of Ireland with just over 1.4 million, representing more than one quarter of the total national flock (27.3%) (Central Statistics Office, 2018). Sheep numbers are characterised by mountainous terrain and are therefore widely present in counties such as Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Kerry and Wicklow.

Ireland’s sheep numbers tend to be relatively small scale by international standards. For example, there were over 6.67 million sheep in Scotland in 2019, and 27.5 million sheep in New Zealand in 2017, one of the the world's largest exporters of sheep meat.

Nonetheless, during 2017, Irish exports of sheep meat were estimated at 62,000 tonnes, with a value of approximately €284 million. France is Ireland's main export market sheep meat exports, accounting for approximately one third of total exports in 2017. The UK is also a substantial export market, accounting for almost 19% of exports (Teagasc, 2018).

Sheep dog herding the sheep.

A well trained sheepdog is a key aid for moving sheep from one field to another and essential for gathering mountain sheep. Training and handling sheepdogs is a very skilled job and well trained dogs are very valuable. The most common breed of sheep dog is the Border Collie.

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Sheep dog herding the sheep.
Copyright Irish Farmers Journal

Sheep dog herding the sheep.

A well trained sheepdog is a key aid for moving sheep from one field to another and essential for gathering mountain sheep. Training and handling sheepdogs is a very skilled job and well trained dogs are very valuable. The most common breed of sheep dog is the Border Collie.

Copyright Irish Farmers Journal

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Flock of sheep

A group of sheep is called a flock. There are many different strains or breeds of sheep in Ireland, with two main categories - hill/mountain breeds and lowland breeds. The lowland sheep are concentrated in the inland counties and low lying land, while the hill sheep are a hardier type more suited to the tough terrain of the mountains in the west and in Wicklow. Females that are over one year of age and that have given birth to a lamb are called sheep. A mature female sheep is called a ewe. A mature male sheep is called a ram and a castrated (neutered) male sheep is called a wether.

Copyright Irish Farmers Journal

Flock of sheep
Copyright Irish Farmers Journal

Flock of sheep

A group of sheep is called a flock. There are many different strains or breeds of sheep in Ireland, with two main categories - hill/mountain breeds and lowland breeds. The lowland sheep are concentrated in the inland counties and low lying land, while the hill sheep are a hardier type more suited to the tough terrain of the mountains in the west and in Wicklow. Females that are over one year of age and that have given birth to a lamb are called sheep. A mature female sheep is called a ewe. A mature male sheep is called a ram and a castrated (neutered) male sheep is called a wether.

Copyright Irish Farmers Journal

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