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Welsh sheep numbers fall
Thursday, 17 December 2020
According to the June survey of Welsh agriculture and horticulture, the number of sheep in the country at the 1 June was down 6% year-on-year, at 8.99 million head.
The fall was mainly due to fewer sheep on the ground over 1 year old, numbers of which fell 8% year-on-year. The majority (95%) of these animals in the category will be breeding ewes.
A smaller lamb crop was also recorded, with the number of lambs aged under 1 year old down 3% at 4.51 million head.
Despite numbers of both age groups being lower on the year, if we compare the number of lambs to the number of breeding ewes, the data would suggest that Welsh lambing rates have improved on the year.
While fewer lambs were recorded at 1 June, this may not necessarily lead to lower supplies for production. 15% fewer adult sheep were slaughtered in the UK between Jan-Nov compared to the same period in 2019, suggesting that fewer ewe lambs will be required to act as replacements for the breeding herd.
Keep an eye out for the next edition of our Agri-Market Outlook in the New Year, where we will take another look at the UK lamb crop and what this means for production going forwards.
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