Vol. 470 No. 5
111 Mr. Leonard asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry his views on the recent estimates from the Central Statistics Office indicating a substantial increase in cattle numbers and a corresponding decrease in sheep numbers. [17540/96]
The increase in cattle numbers stems from a number of factors, most notably the growth in total cow numbers in recent years and the delay in marketing cull cows because of the difficult market conditions arising from the BSE scare earlier in the year. This problem has eased significantly in recent months as cow and heifer slaughterings catch up with 1995 levels.
The CSO June sample survey estimated a 5 per cent reduction in sheep numbers in 1996. This development was not unexpected as producers who suffered poor prices in 1995 reduced their sheep stocks. However, record prices for lambs have been available throughout most of 1996 and this has done much to change the attitude of producers. There is a strong demand for breeding ewes as is demonstrated by the fact that prices for breeding stock are well above last year's level. I am confident that sheep stocks are now being built up as producers recognise that the sheep sector can provide a good return on their investment.
