English sheep flock grows for first time since 2017

The size of the English sheep flock was 14.9 million head in June 2022, which is 2% higher than the year before and the first increase for five years

According to the latest June census results released by Defra, the rise is largely down to a 2.9% increase in the female breeding flock, which is in line with an increase noted in December.

This recovery in the size of the breeding flock is thought to have been driven by strong prices and the firm global market throughout 2021, which boosted optimism in the sector.

See also: How will red meat prices fare during the rest of 2022

There was notable growth in ewes intended for first-time breeding, with numbers up 10.3% on 2021 levels, to 1.2 million head.

Lambs less than one year old also saw an increase, up 1.5% to 7.5 million head.

Breeding ewes intended for slaughter stood at 583,000 head, up 3.5% on 2021 numbers.

In contrast, both rams and other sheep numbers contracted with 171,000 rams recorded, down 6.6% (12,000 head) and 0.3% (600 head) on 2021 levels respectively.