As of June 2024, there were approximately 23.59 million sheep in New Zealand, a slight decrease from the previous year in which there were around 24.36 million sheep in the country. The number of sheep in the country has declined over the past decade.  Sheep farming New Zealand was once known for its disproportionate number of sheep per population. However, since the 1970s, the country’s sheep population has fallen drastically. A major factor that has contributed to this decline is sheep farming land lost to other purposes such as urban sprawl, dairy farming, and horticulture farming. The number of lamb livestock has similarly seen a decline. Consumption and exports Sheep in New Zealand are bred for wool and meat, including mutton and lamb. New Zealand is a significant player in the global wool market. The country exports strong wool to leading textile manufacturers around the world. However, along with sheep numbers, wool production has decreased significantly across New Zealand. In terms of domestic meat consumption, the per capita consumption of sheep meat in New Zealand was forecast to decline into the next decade. When looking at trade, the leading country for sheep meat exports from New Zealand was China, with the United Kingdom and the United States trailing behind.

As of June 2024, there were approximately 21.12 million lamb livestock in New Zealand, an increase from the previous year where there were around 21.04 million lambs marked or tailed in the country. The number of lamb livestock has decreased significantly compared to the beginning of the measured period, 2014.

New Zealand Number of Livestock: Sheep: North Island: Waikato data was reported at 1,478.921 Head th in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1,666.388 Head th for 2016. New Zealand Number of Livestock: Sheep: North Island: Waikato data is updated yearly, averaging 2,506.265 Head th from Jun 1990 (Median) to 2017, with 24 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4,471.206 Head th in 1990 and a record low of 1,478.921 Head th in 2017. New Zealand Number of Livestock: Sheep: North Island: Waikato data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics New Zealand. The data is categorized under Global Database’s New Zealand – Table NZ.B001: Number of Livestock: By Region.

As of June 2024, there were approximately 3.66 million beef cattle in New Zealand, a slight decrease from the previous year, when there were around 3.65 million beef cattle in the country. The number of beef cattle, including bulls, steers, and cows fluctuated during the measured period. Livestock farming industry in New Zealand New Zealand is well known for its superior livestock industry, especially in sheep and beef production. While the large sheep population in New Zealand has historical significance, it has declined significantly during the last ten years. The decline can be attributed to numerous factors, including the conversion of sheep farming land for alternative purposes such as urban expansion, the expansion of dairy farming, and the development of horticulture farming. Apart from sheep, there has also been a decrease in the number of lamb cattle. New Zealand’s dairy farming industry The dairy industry is vital to the country’s broader agricultural sector. New Zealand’s cows produce milk processed into various dairy products, consumed locally and internationally. Thus, the dairy industry accounts for a significant amount of New Zealand's export revenue. The environmental challenges facing dairy producers nationwide have gained increasing attention from the public and environmental organizations. The degradation of water quality and greenhouse gas emissions associated with dairy cattle production are two key issues being discussed.

Focusing on the forecast period: The consumption per capita of sheep meat in New Zealand was forecast to continuously decrease by 0.5 kilograms per capita (-15.72%) within the next years. Therefore, the consumption per capita is estimated to shrink to 2.64 kilograms per capita in 2031.Consumption per capita is the amount of a certain commodity used per person. The figure is derived by dividing total consumption by total population.Find more key insights for the consumption per capita in countries like Australia.

The Norwegian White sheep (NWS) and New Zealand Terminal Sire Composite (NZC) sheep breeds have been developed based on crossing of multiple breeds, mainly of Northern European origin. A close genetic relationship between these populations could enable across-country genomic evaluations. The main objectives of this study were to assess the genetic connectedness between Norwegian and New Zealand sheep populations and estimate numerous genetic diversity metrics for these two populations. A total of 792 NWS and 16,912 NZC animals were genotyped using a high-density Illumina SNP chip panel (∼606K SNPs). The NZC animals were grouped based on their breed composition as: Finn, Lamb Supreme, Primera, Texel, “Other Dual Purpose”, and “Other Terminal Sire”. The average level of linkage disequilibrium ranged from 0.156 (for Primera) to 0.231 (for Finn). The lowest consistency of gametic phase was estimated between NWS and Finn (0.397), and between NWS and Texel (0.443), respectively. Similar consistency of gametic phase was estimated between NWS and the other NZC populations (∼ 0.52). For all composite sheep populations analyzed in this study, the majority of runs of homozygosity (ROH) segments identified had short length (

Mean and variance r2 estimated for each chromosome and for 2000 genetic distance points evenly distributed between 0.05 and 50 cM (100 and 1 generations in the past, respectively). For instance, the spreadsheets for the mean r2 were coded as: meanR2rep1_CompRCPT.xlsx, where 1 indicates method 1 and “CompRCPT” indicates the corresponding breed group. The spreadsheets for the r2 variances were coded as: “varR2rep1_CompRCPT.xlsx”, for example. (ZIP 29639 kb)

Background: Merino and Merino-derived sheep breeds have been widely distributed across the world, both as purebred and admixed populations. They represent an economically and historically important genetic resource which over time has been used as the basis for the development of new breeds. In order to examine the genetic influence of Merino in the context of a global collection of domestic sheep breeds, we analyzed genotype data that were obtained with the OvineSNP50 BeadChip (Illumina) for 671 individuals from 37 populations, including a subset of breeds from the Sheep HapMap dataset. Results: Based on a multi-dimensional scaling analysis, we highlighted four main clusters in this dataset, which corresponded to wild sheep, mouflon, primitive North European breeds and modern sheep (including Merino), respectively. The neighbor-network analysis further differentiated North-European and Mediterranean domestic breeds, with subclusters of Merino and Merino-derived breeds, other Spanish breeds and other Italian breeds. Model-based clustering, migration analysis and haplotype sharing indicated that genetic exchange occurred between archaic populations and also that a more recent Merino-mediated gene flow to several Merino-derived populations around the world took place. The close relationship between Spanish Merino and other Spanish breeds was consistent with an Iberian origin for the Merino breed, with possible earlier contributions from other Mediterranean stocks. The Merino populations from Australia, New Zealand and China were clearly separated from their European ancestors. We observed a genetic substructuring in the Spanish Merino population, which reflects recent herd management practices. Conclusions: Our data suggest that intensive gene flow, founder effects and geographic isolation are the main factors that determined the genetic makeup of current Merino and Merino-derived breeds. To explain how the current Merino and Merino-derived breeds were obtained, we propose a scenario that includes several consecutive migrations of sheep populations that may serve as working hypotheses for subsequent studies.

The agriculture, forestry, and fishing industry is a major production and export industry in New Zealand. In the year ended March 2024, the gross domestic product (GDP) of this industry amounted to over 14.4 billion New Zealand dollars.  New Zealand agriculture  Pastoral farming of sheep and cattle constitutes a large portion of the New Zealand agriculture industry. Despite continuing a declining trend, New Zealand’s sheep population exceeded 23 million in 2024. Sheep meat and wool are both important agricultural commodities produced in the country. These products, along with beef and lamb, are consumed domestically as well as exported overseas. Horticulture production is also an important segment. A wide variety of fresh and processed fruit and vegetables are produced, consumed, and exported from New Zealand. The highest value of horticultural exports from New Zealand went to Asia in 2024. Changing consumption habits The consumption of beef and veal in New Zealand is projected to decrease over the next years. At the same time, global meat consumption is predicted to reduce significantly in the next 15 years, with meat replacements and alternatives filling the market. With the country’s agriculture industry dependent on its meat exports, this presents both challenges and opportunities for New Zealand agriculture.

New Zealand's average farm sale prices showed significant regional variations in the three months to November 2024. The price of farm property in the country was the highest in the Nelson/Marlborough/Tasman region as of November 2024, with an average sale price of around 148,180 New Zealand dollars per hectare. In comparison, in the Auckland region, the average farm sales price came to just over 61,000 dollars per hectare. A farming nation The agriculture industry is a major economic pillar of the country. The contribution to the nation’s GDP is valued in the billions of New Zealand dollars. Horticulture, livestock, and dairying are all important segments, and the commodities produced within them are exported across the globe. While sheep livestock numbers have declined, they still make up a large share of the country’s livestock population. Horticultural farming While New Zealand exports various horticultural products, including wine grapes, potatoes, and apples, it is perhaps best known for its kiwi fruit. Accordingly, the land area dedicated to kiwi fruit farming has continued to increase over the years. New Zealand’s leading horticultural product export destinations include Asia, Europe, and Australia.

Focusing on the forecast period: The consumption per capita of sheep meat in Australia was forecast to continuously decrease by 0.4 kilograms per capita (-5.03%) within the next years. Therefore, the consumption per capita is estimated to shrink to 7.52 kilograms per capita in 2031.Consumption per capita is the amount of a certain commodity used per person. The figure is derived by dividing total consumption by total population.Find more key insights for the consumption per capita in countries like New Zealand.