The figures below show how things altered in that period, percentage-wise.
38% – increase in cow numbers in Ireland
43% – increase in average herd size, up to 83 from 58
54% – cows in herds of greater than 100 cows, with a small reduction in the number of dairy farms
92% – increase cow numbers accrued in Munster and Leinster; just 8pc of the increase came in Connacht/Ulster.
54% – increase in total milk production in Ireland
16% – increase in milk production in the EU-28
26% – dairy farmers aged less than 45, down from 33pc
43% – dairy farmers aged over 54, up from 37pc.
22% – Irish agricultural land area devoted to specialist dairy farming, up from 17.7pc
24% – increase in productivity (ratio of outputs to inputs) of specialist dairy farms
