Sheep population continues downward trend, census shows
18th April 2024
All UK nations except Northern Ireland have seen a fall in the number of sheep and lambs, with Wales seeing the largest drop, likely due to increasing costs.
According to the latest Defra figures, the total number of sheep and lambs in the UK has fallen by 5.1% to 21.2 million, as of 1st December 2023.
The female sheep breeding flock also dropped by 4.3% between December 2022 and 2023 to 13.8 million. Other sheep and lambs decreased by 6.6% to 7.4 million.
All UK nations, with the exception of Northern Ireland, saw a fall in the number of sheep and lambs in December 2023 compared to 2022. Wales saw the largest proportional fall in numbers and stated this was likely due in part to increasing costs.
Cattle numbers
Meanwhile, there were 9.2 million cattle and calves in the UK on 1st December 2023, a decrease of 1.8% since December 2022.
The female breeding herd accounts for around a third of the total number of cattle in the United Kingdom and has decreased by 2.2% to 3.2 million in December 2023.
Finally, the beef herd fell by 4.4% and now stands at 1.3 million, whilst the dairy herd saw little change at 1.8 million. The beef breeding herd continues to drive the gradual decline seen in the breeding herd over the last five years.
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