Finian McGrath
Question:548. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of sheep in the national herd in each of the years 2000 to 2012. [18883/13]
View answerDáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 April 2013
548. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of sheep in the national herd in each of the years 2000 to 2012. [18883/13]
View answerThe following table shows the number of sheep in the national flock in December for each of the years specified, according to the December livestock surveys completed by the CSO. The figures show that there was a steady decline in the size of the national flock between 2000 and 2010. However, the trend has been reversed in recent years, with increases for 2011 and 2012 reflecting the impact of positive measures which have been introduced in order to arrest the decline in the sector.
Year |
Sheep ‘000 head |
2000 |
5,056.0 |
2001 |
4,807.0 |
2002 |
4,828.5 |
2003 |
4,850.1 |
2004 |
4,556.7 |
2005 |
4,257.0 |
2006 |
3,826.3 |
2007 |
3,530.5 |
2008 |
3,422.9 |
2009 |
3,182.6 |
2010 |
3,122.0 |
2011 |
3,321.3 |
2012 |
3,430.3 |
Source: CSO December Livestock Survey