Cork had a total of 370,564 dairy cows in June 2017, according to the latest figures from ICBF, which was 200,000 more cows than the next highest county, Tipperary.

The three counties that have been leading the way in numbers since 2016 are Cork, Tipperary and Limerick.

Dairy expansion, without adequate facilities, has been highlighted as an issue by an Oireachtas Committee on 8 May, reviewing the recent fodder crisis.

Dairy cow numbers per county. \ ICBF

Lowest dairy numbers

The county with the lowest number of dairy cows is Leitrim, with just 2,651 dairy cows, a figure that dropped slightly since the previous year.

Dublin has the second lowest number of dairy cows at 3,202 and Roscommon has the third lowest at 7,012.

Total dairy cow numbers last year reached 1,443,409, according to ICBF.

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