National flock stabilises

WELLINGTON - After shrinking in size by 20 per cent since 1994, the national sheep flock appears to be stabilising. It shrank only slightly last year, to 39.255 million animals at June 30, down from 39.552 million the previous year.

Sheep numbers have been declining since 1982 and are at their lowest level since 1955.

According to Statistics New Zealand, the Canterbury region recorded the largest drop, down 6 per cent to 7.5 million, and Hawkes Bay had the largest rise, up by 383,000 to 4.306 million.

The Manawatu-Wanganui region's flock had the North Island's biggest drop, in number terms, down by 253,000 to 6.263 million.

Nationally, during the year to June 30, 31.9 million lambs were tailed, and lamb numbers fell by 4 per cent in each of the North and South Islands, dropping to 14.5 million in the North and 17.4 million in the South.

The number of breeding ewes, 2-tooth and over, put to ram at June 30 dropped by 1 per cent to 26.7 million. In the North Island the number increased by 2 per cent to 12.4 million, in the South Island it fell by 4 per cent to 14.3 million.

The number of ewe hoggets put to ram increased in both the North and South Islands.

The east coast regions of the South Island from Marlborough to Southland experienced dry conditions at the start of last year. Lower North Island regions had floods.

The national flock

South Island 20.52 million sheep (down 3 per cent)

North Island 18.734 million (down 2 per cent)

- NZPA