New Zealand's sheep flocks unlikely to recover to pre-drought levels

NEW Zealand’s sheep flock is not expected to recover to its level before drought in key livestock regions added to the flock and cattle herd declines from land use conversion into forestry, according to Beef + Lamb New Zealand. B+LNZ has released its annual Stock Number Survey, showing a notable decline in both sheep and cattle numbers as of 30 June 2024. The NZ farmer-owned, industry organisation said flock and herd reductions follow significant decreases in the past couple of years. While the primary driver in previous years has been land-use change as a result of the conversion of sheep and beef farms into forestry, this year’s primary driver was drought in key sheep and beef regions, Beef + Lamb NZ said. Drought has led to farmers needing to destock, impacting the outlook for lamb production for the coming season. Sheep numbers are estimated to have decreased by 4.3 percent, down to 23.31 million, with breeding ewe numbers falling by 2.9pc and trading sheep stock numbers fell ...