More sheep, but breeding ewe numbers down

Press, 24 February 1987, Page 34

More sheep, but breeding ewe numbers down

Wellington reporter

Preliminary estimates show an increase in sheep numbers but a drop in breeding ewes at June, 1986, as against June, 1985.

The sheep increased 0.4 per cent from 67.9 million to 68.1 million, but breeding ewes fell 4.4 per cent from 50.2 million to 48.0 million.

The number of breeding ewes put to the ram in the South Island fell 2.8 per cent from 24.5 million to 23.8 million, and in the North Island 6 per cent from 25.7 million to 24.2 million.

Total dairy cattle increased 1.9 per cent over the same period, from 3,308,030 to 3,371,000, while the number of cows in milk increased 1.4 per cent from 2,220,923 to 2,252,000.

There was an increase of 5.5 per cent in the number of beef cattle dur-

ing the same period, from 4,613,120 to 4,866,000, while the number of beef breeding cows increased 1.6 per cent, from 1,455,971 to 1,478,000.

The Government Statistician, Mr Stephen Kuzmicich, urged caution in interpreting the reported increase in sheep numbers as evidence of a reversal in the declining trend that had been apparent since 1982. The figures were only preliminary estimates and subject to revision.

The figures represented the number of sheep held on farms and in June last year there was some evidence that farmers might have held on to stock then because of industrial disruption in the freezing industry earlier last year. He said the reported fall in numbers of breeding ewes had been more consistent with the continuing downward trend in sheep numbers.