The number of beef cattle increased for the fourth year in a row in 2020, while the national dairy herd and sheep flock have both continued to fall in recent years, Stats NZ said today.
Provisional figures from the 2020 agricultural production survey showed beef cattle numbers increased 2 percent, to 4 million in June 2020, returning to levels last seen a decade ago.
“Beef prices have generally remained strong and supported the increase in beef cattle numbers since 2016. There are now a lot more steers than there were a few years ago and the beef breeding herd (beef cows and heifers in calf) has increased significantly,” agricultural production statistics manager Mrs Krpo said. Steers are neutered male cattle raised for beef.
There were 1.2 million steers as at 30 June 2020, an increase of 180,000 or 18 percent since 2016. In the same period the beef breeding herd increased by 111,000 or 12 percent.
Total beef exports were worth about $3.8 billion in the year ended June 2020, up from $3.3 billion the year before.
“Compared with 2016, when the beef cattle herd started to increase, annual beef exports have grown by $700 million,” Mrs Krpo said. “Steer and heifer prices per kilogram took a leg up in 2015 and remain above levels seen earlier in the decade.”
“Dairy cattle numbers peaked at 6.7 million in 2014 but have since fallen by more than half a million to 6.1 million in 2020,” said Mrs Krpo.
“The annual value of dairy product exports shot up to almost $16 billion in 2014 when international prices were high, before falling back to about $12 billion in the following few years, returning to more than $16 billion in 2020,” she said. “However dairy export volumes remained relatively steady in the past five years, despite a smaller dairy herd.”
The milking herd (the number of dairy cattle in milk or calf) at 30 June 2020 was 4.7 million, down by 3 percent from the previous year.
| At June | Total dairy cattle | Total beef cattle |
| 2002 | 5162000 | 4491000 |
| 2003 | 5102000 | 4627000 |
| 2004 | 5152000 | 4447000 |
| 2005 | 5087000 | 4424000 |
| 2006 | 5170000 | 4439000 |
| 2007 | 5261000 | 4394000 |
| 2008 | 5578000 | 4137000 |
| 2009 | 5861000 | 4101000 |
| 2010 | 5915000 | 3949000 |
| 2011 | 6175000 | 3846000 |
| 2012 | 6446000 | 3734000 |
| 2013 | 6484000 | 3699000 |
| 2014 | 6698000 | 3670000 |
| 2015 | 6486000 | 3547000 |
| 2016 | 6619000 | 3533000 |
| 2017 | 6530000 | 3616000 |
| 2018 | 6386000 | 3721000 |
| 2019 | 6261000 | 3890000 |
| 2020 | 6112000 | 3950000 |
Sheep flock dips again
At 30 June 2020 there were 26.2 million total sheep, down 700,000 or 2 percent from the previous year. “The number of sheep has been falling since 2012. While there have been increases in the total number of sheep in some years, total sheep has been falling more generally since 1982. Dry summer conditions in several North Island regions contributed to this year’s decrease,” said Mrs Krpo.
“New Zealand now has 5 sheep for every person, after peaking at 22 sheep for every person in 1982.”
The value of sheep meat exports almost reached $4 billion in the year ended June 2020, up from $3.8 billion in the previous year. Lamb prices per head rose in 2017 with annual average levels higher than earlier in the decade.
A good year for arable crops
The year ending June 2020 was a good year for growing arable crops, with good yields per hectare achieved for both wheat and barley. The harvested area of barley dropped by 17 percent, or 10,000 hectares. The harvested area of wheat was relatively unchanged with 45,000 hectares harvested. While barley is used for brewing and wheat for making bread, the predominant use for both crops is for stock feed.
