The decline in livestock numbers continues with Beef + Lamb NZ’s latest stock number survey estimating drops of 1.4% in breeding ewes and 0.9% in beef cattle as at June 30.
That decline since the same time last year is predominantly driven by changes in the North Island, where breeding ewes dropped 2% to 16.1 million and beef cattle by 1.6% to 2.73m.
The census, based on a survey of farmers, shows hogget numbers as at the reporting date were 3.2% higher, which underpinned a 0.2% lift in total sheep numbers.
The report notes most of those hoggets will be slaughtered, and the higher than usual number reflect the timing of the census and delays getting processing space.
The report forecasts a 0.8% decline in this year’s lamb crop at 22.41m due to lower ewe numbers and ewes in lighter condition at mating following a dry autumn.
Pregnancy scanning was mixed due to the impact of drought and facial eczema, with rates similar in the North Island, slightly up in Marlborough and Canterbury but down in Otago and Southland due to the dry autumn.
The only regions to increase beef cattle numbers were the North Island’s East Coast and Canterbury-Marlborough. The South Island increase was underpinned by trading stock still on farms being finished.
The number of breeding cows and heifers fell 1.1% . The East Coast was the only region to buck that trend, with numbers increasing 2.5%.
The expectation for spring is that 1.2% fewer calves will be born, with a 0.5% decline in the North Island and 2.6% in the south.
BLNZ estimates that as of June 30 there were about 26m sheep and 3.9m beef cattle, compared to about 31m sheep and 3.7m cattle a decade ago.
