The UK national sheep flock stood at 14.5 million head on 1 December, showing an increase of 3% for the period of 2021. According to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) the figures were collated by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). AHDB’s Rebecca Wright says “some growth in the breeding ewe numbers was expected based upon optimism in the industry and low ewe-slaughter figures during 2021.”
However, despite the increase in breeding ewe numbers in the national sheep flock, there appears to be some doubt over the accuracy of DEFRA slaughter data. Wright comments on the matter by saying that “the number of other sheep and lambs also increased, reflecting the expected slaughter pattern. Numbers are up on the year and in-line with recent historic averages.”
Data collected by DEFRA also indicates that the English breeding flock has contracted. The number of breeding ewes in England on 1 December, 2021 contracted 1% on year earlier levels, to 6.4 million head.
Wright adds that “the number of other sheep and lambs increased 9%, to 4.6 million head. While there is little direct correlation between this number and the size of the carry-over, the trend in this figure is indicative of trends we were expecting this year.”