Economy
Agriculture is the largest industry in the county, especially dairy milk processing as well as pig and beef farming. Much of Cavan's land consists of Clay soils, which are rich in minerals, but heavy and poorly drained, making pasture farming the dominant farming system in the county. There is a total farmed area of 144,269 hectares (356,500 acres) in the county, and there are approximately 219,568 cattle in Cavan. Lakeland Dairies group, which has manufacturing sites located throughout Cavan, is Ireland's second largest dairy co-operative, with an annual revenue of €472 million.
Cavan and Cork are Ireland's leading counties in pig production and Cavan farms represent 20% of the national pig herd. Pig farming regulations have put pressure on the industry, which is highly dependent on affordable credit. Traditionally an agricultural economy, Cavan has since expanded in other industries, chiefly quarrying, energy production and manufacturing facilities. As of April 2012, Cavan produces 122.02 Megatwatts of wind energy, the largest wind farm is at Bindoo, which produces 48 MW's of energy. Peat cutting exists in the northwest of the county, in the Cuilcagh range. Major industries such as Quinn Quaries and Gypsum Industries are also important employers within the county. There are a number of quarries located in the county and the Quinn cement facility is located in Ballyconnell.
By disposable income per person, Cavan ranks between Clare and Laois at 17th out of 27 in Ireland, at 91.3% of the State average (€19,246), roughly €5,000 behind Dublin, Ireland's richest county.
As of August 2012, there are 7,663 people on live register in the county. An unemployment rate of 10.5%, 4.3% below the national average.
Read more about this topic: County Cavan
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