The drop to under 30 million sheep in June 2014 was a 3% fall on the number of sheep in 2013. This fall in sheep numbers coincides with an increase of 3% in the number of dairy cattle, mainly in the key dairy regions of Waikato, Canterbury, and Southland, and a slight decline in the number of beef cattle. Interestingly, the USA is also experiencing a decline in cattle numbers at the moment, with the number of beef cattle at its lowest since 1951.