Scottish farmers are keeping 1% fewer beef cattle and 2% fewer dairy cattle, latest census results from the Scottish Government show.

In June of this year there were just over 410,000 breeding beef females and 173,000 dairy cows. Over the last 10 years, cattle numbers have fallen by around 170,000 head.

Scotland’s pig herd remains steady with 35,930 breeding females

However, this year’s lambing was one of the most successful on record. From a total breeding ewe flock of just over 2.5m there were 6.7m lambs, which is a lambing percentage of over 130%, the highest in more than 10 years. There were 2% more lambs recorded in the June census, despite breeding ewe numbers being down 1%.

In the intensive sectors, Scotland’s pig herd remains steady with 35,930 breeding females, although poultry numbers are down due to a drop in the number of birds used for laying eggs.

It has been a good year for cereal production with a predicted rise in total yield of 2%. This could lead to grain production going up to 3.1m tonnes. Potato areas remained steady at 28,400ha, and vegetable areas increased by 13%.