Sheep production in New Zealand is set to fall

Published 2024년 8월 15일

Tridge summary

The New Zealand sheep flock has seen a significant decrease, falling from 39.3 million in 2003 to a record low of 24.4 million in 2023. Despite this, sheepmeat export volumes have remained stable, with a 6% increase in combined sheep and lamb slaughter in 2023–24. This increase in slaughter led to a 5% rise in production, but slightly weaker than expected due to lower exports to China. The increased production was largely consumed in the United Kingdom, the United States, and domestically in New Zealand, as domestic consumption rose by 12%. Future slaughter is expected to be lower due to the high stock turn-off rate, and improvements in seasonal conditions may lead to a rebuild of the flock.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

The New Zealand sheep flock has been falling consistently for decades, with numbers falling from 39.3 million in 2003 to a record low of 24.4 million in 2023. Over the same period, sheepmeat export volumes have been remarkably stable, due to a combination of falling domestic consumption and steadily increasing carcase weights. This trend continued in 2023–24. Combined sheep and lamb slaughter lifted 6% to 22.2 million head, and a stock turn-off rate of 91%, well above the 10-year average of 84%. This high stock turn-off rate suggests the flock is currently destocking and that future slaughter will be lower. Slightly lighter carcase weights resulted in a production lift by 5% to 449,606 tonnes carcase weight equivalent (mt cwe), a slightly smaller lift than the increase in slaughter. Over 2023–24 increases were seen in sheepmeat exports, with NZ exporting 414,893 mt cwe, 4% more than the previous year. Although there was an increase in exports, the numbers were slightly weaker than ...

Source: Mla