The lift, driven by stronger ewe performance, comes despite a decline in breeding ewe numbers and challenging dry conditions in the northern North Island.
ADVERTISEMENT
The latest lamb crop report from Beef and Lamb New Zealand, suggests that the national lamb crop for the 2025-2026 season has edged up 1% to an estimated 19.66m lambs.
That 1% increase equates to roughly 188,000 more lambs than the previous year, with the rise due to stronger ewe performance.
The average lambing percentage is up 3.7 percentage points to 131.1%, which more than offsets a 1.9% decline in breeding ewe numbers.
ADVERTISEMENT
The report forecasts around 17.07m lambs will be processed in 2025-2026, which is roughly level with last year, as extra lambs will be retained to rebuild depleted ewe flocks.
Register for free to read this story and our free stories.
This content is available to digital subscribers and loyalty code users only. Sign in to your account, use the code or subscribe to get unlimited access.
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
CODE ACCEPTED
You have full access to the site until next Wednesday at 9pm.
CODE NOT VALID
Please try again or contact support.
The latest lamb crop report from Beef and Lamb New Zealand, suggests that the national lamb crop for the 2025-2026 season has edged up 1% to an estimated 19.66m lambs.
That 1% increase equates to roughly 188,000 more lambs than the previous year, with the rise due to stronger ewe performance.
The average lambing percentage is up 3.7 percentage points to 131.1%, which more than offsets a 1.9% decline in breeding ewe numbers.
The report forecasts around 17.07m lambs will be processed in 2025-2026, which is roughly level with last year, as extra lambs will be retained to rebuild depleted ewe flocks.
If you would like to speak to a member of our team, please call us on 01-4199525.
Link sent to your email address
We have sent an email to your address. Please click on the link in this email to reset your password. If you can't find it in your inbox, please check your spam folder. If you can't find the email, please call us on 01-4199525.
ENTER YOUR LOYALTY CODE:
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
SHARING OPTIONS