Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 657: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the number of animals which have been recorded here in each of the past ten years; the average age of breeding cows; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1571/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I understand that the question from the Deputy relates to bovine animals only. Going back to 1994, which was prior to the introduction to the CMMS system, the most comprehensive data available to the Department on animal numbers are derived from the number of animals tested annually under the bovine tuberculosis testing scheme. According to statistics from this scheme, the number of bovine animals recorded in Ireland in the last ten years is as follows:

As regards the average age of breeding cows, calf birth recording commenced only in 1996. Thus, there is insufficient information available on the age of some 600,000 pre-1996 born animals to allow the calculation of an accurate figure for the average age of breeding cows.