*4.4. Irelands Future Outlook*

Irelands national herd size has grown significantly in the past five years from 1,082,500 dairy cows in 2013 to 1,369,100 in 2018 (+21%) [20,104]. Much of the recent growth has stemmed from the removal of the European-wide milk production quotas in 2015, which saw milk output increase by 8% and 9% in 2016 and 2017, respectively [105]. Growing herd sizes allows SSAD plants to become more feasible because of economies of scale, as shown in Table 7.

The sector is projected to grow further due to Teagasc (the government's semi-state advisory authority) targeting a national herd increase of 19% by 2025 in comparison to 2018 [20,106]. When considering these targets, it is anticipated that the average national farm herd will exceed 100 dairy cows by 2025. The argumen<sup>t</sup> for the applicability of SSAD continues to deepen not only for the potential economic benefits but also for its capacity to mitigate GHG emissions.
