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.

The growth in the number of dairy cattle in New Zealand is one of the reasons attributed to the decline in its sheep numbers. However, Mike Petersen, a special agricultural trade envoy from New Zealand says New Zealand’s ability to convert more land to dairy is now limited due to environmental constraints, such as nutrient regulations and water quality, along with the increasing urban vote. He belives this may help the sheep and cattle sectors grow in the future.

The number of deer in New Zealand in 2014 also fell, moving below 1 million for the first time, a decrease of 7% on 2013. The number of deer peaked at 1.8 million in 2004, but this has been falling since 2009.

These latest figures are the results of the 2014 Agricultural Production Survey which was conducted in partnership with the Ministry for Primary Industries and involved farmers and foresters in New Zealand.

Number of sheep in New Zealand drops to lowest since 1943

At just under 30 million, the number of sheep in New Zealand has plummeted to a level not seen since 1943, according to figures from Statistics New Zealand.