According to government estimates, there are about 60,000 sheep in the Dominican Republic, about twice the size of the Maryland industry. Most of the sheep are raised in the drier portions of the country, alongside the border with Haiti. Jamaica is slightly smaller than the state of Connecticut. Here, goats reign supreme, being an integral part of the economy and culture of this small island country, best known for tourism. Most of the sheep are raised in the mountainous St. Elizabeth parish in the southwestern portion of the island.
Goats are ubiquitous.
Caribbean Islanders have a strong preference for goat meat in the diets, though they probably consume more sheep meat than they realize due to its similarity to goat. Goat meat is on the menu of most Dominican restaurants as well, but it is cooked differently, in fact, much to the liking of this lamb afficionado. Most of the lamb is consumed by the tourist trade. In fact, a considerable amount of both sheep and goat meat is imported into Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. Sheep production Obvious differences exist between tropical sheep production and sheep production in more temperate climates like ours.