UK's Cattle Herd Dips 2.5% To 10.3 Million
UK - The full results of the EU's cattle census for the year to June are not yet available, but the provisional numbers indicate another decline.
21 November 2007
1 minute read
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Cattle In Decline
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The figures for the UK as collated by Eurostat reveal a decline of 1.2 per cent in the number of dairy cows, with the national herd now standing at 1.96 million. Not so long ago that figure was substantially bigger than two million cows.
The UK suckler herd, which produces high-quality beef, also fell by just short of 2 per cent, to 1.69 million. The total cattle herd fell by 2.5 per cent to 10.3 million head.
On an EU-wide basis it is estimated that the total cattle herd has slipped by 1 per cent to 75 million. However, there were modest increases in both France and Poland.
The Irish Republic is a major exporter of beef to many destinations but judging from the figures, farmers are losing confidence. The total cattle herd in Ireland declined by 3 per cent to 6.71 million. This follows a similar fall in the previous year.
The decoupling of subsidies from output as part of the reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy is clearly having the effect of reducing production.
