There are fewer dairy cattle, sheep, and deer in New Zealand’s (NZ) paddocks, according to the final results of the five-yearly Agricultural Production Census 2022 that Stats NZ released this week.
Stats NZ is similar agency to Ireland’s Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The 2022 survey of farming production and practices reveals small decreases in the national dairy herd and sheep flock, with dairy cattle numbers down 1% from the previous year.
General manager of economic and environment insights, Jason Attewell said: “The total number of dairy cattle was 6.1 million at June 2022. This is 8% lower than in 2014 when the total dairy cattle herd peaked at 6.7 million.”
While the dairy cattle herd has decreased in both islands, the North Island has seen a much larger fall.
Across the North Island dairy cattle numbers fell by 11% (431,000) compared with 2014 (when dairy cattle numbers peaked). In contrast South Island dairy cattle numbers fell only 5% (131,000) compared with 2014.
Sheep and beef in NZ
The NZ national sheep flock tallied 25.3 million at June 2022. This was a drop of 400,000 sheep compared with the previous year, representing a 2% decrease.
Despite total sheep numbers continuing to fall, there were 22 million lambs tailed in the 2021-2022 year.
“The ratio of sheep to people dropped below 5:1 in 2022, for the first time since the 1850s, when national sheep numbers were first recorded,” Attewell continued.
“In 1982, New Zealand sheep numbers famously sat at 22/person. Australia currently has three times as many sheep as New Zealand, though its ratio is only around three sheep to every Aussie.”
The number of beef cattle has stabilised around 3.9 million. Beef cattle numbers, which peaked at 6.3 million in the 1970s, totalled 3.5 million in 2016, a historic low.
More recently, the number has stabilised and totalled 3.9 million in both 2019 and June 2022.
The Agricultural Production Census 2022 provides a detailed snapshot of New Zealand’s production and practices.
The collection of data from farms, orchards, and forests across New Zealand gives a clearer picture of its largest export sector, primary production.