New Zealand’s sheep numbers plummeted by almost a million in 2020, new data shows. Figures from Stats NZ put the sheep population at 26 million for the year ended June 2020, a fall of 800,000 from the previous year and a far cry from the peak of 70 million sheep in 1982. Katie Clement New Zealand’s sheep numbers plummeted by 800,000 in 2020. (File photo)At “peak sheep” in 1982, New Zealand’s ratio of sheep to people was 22:1. The national dairy herd is also in decline, falling by 7 per cent since numbers peaked at 6.7 million seven years ago.

Source: Stuff May 07, 2021 23:48 UTC