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Dairy cattle number numbers fell 1% in 2018 to 6.4m head, provisional figures from Statistics New Zealand show.
“This followed a similar small dip in 2017, though overall dairy cattle numbers have been relatively steady since 2012,” agricultural production statistics manager Stuart Pitts said.
Total dairy cattle were at their highest level in 2014 at 6.7m.
“Dairy products are a huge export for New Zealand. The value of milk powder, butter, and cheese exports for the year ended June 2018 was $14.1 billion,” he said.
Beef cattle on the up
Meanwhile, as dairy numbers fall, the number of beef cattle in New Zealand increased for the second year in a row, with numbers up 5% to 3.8m.
Sheep
Sheep numbers in the country continue to ease, with numbers back 1% to 27.3m head.
“Sheep numbers have fallen in 10 of the past 12 years, in total down about 12.8 million from about 40.1 million in 2006.
“New Zealand now has 5.6 sheep for every person, after peaking at 22 sheep for every person in 1982,” Pitts said.
The disease Mycoplasma bovis continues to grip New Zealand, with 52,000 cattle culled to date as part of the response to the outbreak.
Over 250,000 tests have been completed and 34 farms remain infected and under quarantine as a result.
Over 300 farms are under active surveillance for the disease. Farmers affected by the disease have lodged 622 claims for compensation with the New Zealand government and in total to date, NZ$39m has been paid out.
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