NEWS

One head of cattle for evey person in Northern Ireland
By Chris McCullough

NORTHERN Ireland has the same people population count as there are numbers of cattle, according to the latest DARD census statistics.
Dairy cow numbers have fallen by two per cent during 2008 to 2009 to 284,700. This leaves the total number of cattle in Northern Ireland at 1.6 million head, down by one per cent compared to the previous year, and standing roughly the same as the country's population.
The main changes between June 2008 and June 2009 were on cereals, which showed a three per cent decrease in the total area of cereals compared with 2008. 
The total area of winter crops planted in autumn 2008 for harvest in 2009 was 15,500 ha, while the total of spring cereal crops was 23,600 ha. The areas of winter wheat and winter barley decreased by 16 per cent and 17 per cent respectively. The area of spring barley rose by 11 per cent.
There was no change in the area of potatoes grown in 2009 compared to 2008, at 5,100ha; while the area of forage maize was six per cent lower at 3,300 ha.
Total cattle numbers were one per cent lower than in 2008 at 1.6 million head. The number of dairy cows decreased by two per cent to 284,700; while the number of beef cows fell by three per cent to 256,800.
The number of breeding ewes fell by five per cent to 892,400 while the number of breeding sows rose by eight per cent to 38,200.
In poultry, overall, there was little change in numbers between 2008 and 2009 with a small two per cent decrease in the total number of birds.
There was a two per cent fall in the number of farmers in 2009, and the total number of persons working on farms also fell by one per cent. On a headcount basis the total farm labour force stood at 48,000 in June 2009.


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November 27th 2009
November 20th 2009