South Island Dairy Numbers Increase
NEW ZEALAND - South Island dairy cattle numbers are more than six times the number they were in 1981, Statistics New Zealand said today.
2 April 2007
1 minute read
Figures from the 2006 Agricultural Production Survey show that the national dairy herd is now 5.2 million. With 1.5 million cattle, the South Island has 28 percent of the national herd, while in 1981 it had 8 percent, or 225,000 dairy cattle.
In 2006 the national deer herd totalled 1.6 million. This compares with 109,000 deer 25 years ago when deer farming was in its infancy. The deer industry has centred in the South Island, which now has 1.1 million or 69 percent of the national deer herd.
Sheep numbers were estimated at 40.1 million in 2006, down from a peak of 70.3 million in 1982. Over the 25-year period from 1981 there have been similar proportions of sheep in both islands. In 1981 the North Island had 53 percent of the national flock and in 2006 the South Island had 51 percent. Beef cattle numbers totalled 4.4 million in 2006.
Of the main livestock sectors, beef numbers have changed the least over the last 25 years, with a high of 5.2 million recorded in 1995. South Island numbers have remained relatively stable while there has been a decline in the North Island.
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