Recently, I had the opportunity to visit both Australia and New Zealand as part of the SheepNet National Facilitators tour, with the aim of exchanging knowledge and experiences on how to improve ewe productivity.
SheepNet is an EU-funded project on sheep productivity and involves the six main EU sheep-producing countries (Ireland, France, United Kingdom, Romania, Spain and Italy) and Turkey. Ewe productivity (number of lambs reared per ewe joined), which has been static for the past few decades, is a combination of reproduction success, embryonic and lamb survival and litter size.
My objective, in this article, is to present information on the New Zealand sheep industry and on some of the farms that we visited.
New Zealand sheep industry
The number of sheep in New Zealand peaked in 1982, with a total of 70.3m. Sheep numbers have been in decline since then for a number of reasons, including competition from other farm enterprises, especially dairy and forestry, depressed wool prices and droughts in the 1990s. Currently, there are a total of 27.6m sheep, which comprises 18.1m breeding ewes and 9.4m ewe replacements, wethers and rams. There are similar numbers of sheep on both the North and South Islands.
While sheep numbers have declined by 52% since 1990, the amount of sheepmeat produced has only fallen by 8% due to the average lamb carcase weight increasing by 4.7kg and a higher number of lambs reared per ewe joined. The mean lamb carcase weight is 18.4kg. The number of lambs reared per ewe joined is 1.28 compared with 1.0 in 1990.
New Zealand produces 0.47m tonnes of sheepmeat annually (Ireland produces 60,000t). The annual per-capita consumption of sheepmeat in New Zealand is 10.3kg person (in Ireland annual consumption is 3.2kg per capita) and 97% of its sheepmeat production is exported. The value of the sheepmeat industry is approximately €1.63bn ($2.8bn at €1 = NZ$1.72) and is increasing annually by adding value. Currently 98% of lamb is exported as cuts and only 2% is exported in carcase form.
The EU accounts for 44% of the total value of New Zealand lamb exports, the main markets within the EU being the UK, Germany, Netherlands, France and Belgium, which account for 16%, 10%, 8%, 4% and 3%, respectively, of the value of lamb exports. Outside of the EU, China, the US, Canada and Saudi Arabia are the biggest markets accounting for 19%, 12% and 3% of the value of lamb meat exports, respectively. North Asia, the EU, South Asia and US are the largest export markets for New Zealand mutton, accounting for 62%, 18%, 8% and 6% of mutton exports, respectively.
New Zealand is the third largest producer of wool in the world and produces 9.5% of world production. During our visit, producers were receiving €1.63/kg (NZ$2.8/kg) for wool.
At farm level
Sheep farms in New Zealand are very large compared with flocks in Ireland. The mean number of ewes joined with rams on New Zealand sheep farms is approximately 2,800 (The average age of sheep farmers is 58 years). Romney is the most common breed of sheep; Romney and composite breeds incorporating Romney (Perendale, Coopworth) account for approximately 82% of the ewe population. Merino and Corriedale (a composite breed incorporating Merino) account for approximately 8% of the ewe population. Producers were receiving €4.36/kg (NZ$7.50/kg) lamb carcase and as mentioned already €1.63/kg (NZ$2.80/kg) for wool.
Farm visits
The first farm we visited was 172km south of Queenstown near the bottom of the South Island. While the mean annual rainfall is 1,200mm, the farm was in a drought situation during our visit. This farm measured 632ha and had 1,400 Romney ewes and 400 hinds. There was also a suckler cow enterprise, which was used to graze paddocks after the sheep.
Target body condition score of the ewes at mating is between 3 and 3.5, with ewes weighing 83kg, on average. While the target weight of ewe lambs at joining is 48kg, all ewe lambs heavier than 40 kg are joined. Lambing occurs outdoors. Ewes are over wintered on turnips and kale (50ha sown annually), and extended (deferred) grazing is practised in swards with covers of up to 1,800kg dry matter per ha (measured to ground level). All ewes are vaccinated for toxoplasmosis and campylobacter abortion agents, and for clostridial diseases.
Lambs are dosed for internal parasites once prior to weaning and are given up to three treatments post weaning using products containing a combination of active ingredients.
The ewes and ewe lambs had scanned litter size of 2.4 and 1.56 lambs, and reared 1.7 and 1.3 lambs per ewe, respectively. All ewes on the farm are recorded as the farm specialises in producing rams for breeding. In New Zealand, they are considering reducing the weighting of the number of lambs born in the breeding index because of the high levels of mortality in the larger litters.
The second farm we visited was 5,500ha with an annual rainfall of 1,100mm. This farm was also in a drought situation and 3,000 store lambs were drafted for sale on the day of our visit to manage feed supply. There were 13,700 ewes, 4,000 hinds and 1,000 suckler cows on the farm. The cattle graze the paddocks after the sheep. All of the ewes are recorded for the production of rams for breeding. The farm is operated by nine staff.
The three main key performance indices on this farm are the number of lambs born, lamb weaning weight and ewe mortality.
Target lamb weight at weaning is 33kg. Approximately 3,000 ewes produce triplets annually. Ewes are managed in groups (a maximum of 1,000 ewes), and rotationally grazed.
The third farm that we visited was near Lake Taupo in the middle of the North Island. The farm was 1,780ha and had 3,000 ewes, 1,100 hinds and 1,000 cattle. All of the sheep were recorded and the main farm enterprise was the production of rams for breeding. Approximately 800 rams are sold annually. The farm was run by seven staff.
The mean scanned litter size was 2.3 lambs and the number of lambs reared per ewe joined was 1.5. Lambing occurs outdoors and ewes are over wintered on swedes, kale and extended (deferred) grazed pasture.
Ewes are set-stocked on pasture (40 ewes/ha) prior to lambing, and remain in these groups until approximately five weeks post-lambing. Grass yield can be as high as 3,000kg DM per hectare (measured to ground level). A number of the groups are merged together post-lambing to enable paddocks to be closed for silage production.
The final farm visit was to a dairy-sheep farm milking 2,100 ewes. All lambs are artificially reared on eight automatic feeders. The ewes are kept indoors until they reach peak lactation. Subsequently, they are turned out to pasture. Mean lactation yield of milk is 200kg per ewe.
New Zealand is the world’s second largest exporter of lamb and sheepmeat and has an annual output of 0.47m tonnes of sheepmeat.The EU is its most valuable export market, accounting for 44% of the value of sheepmeat exports Romney and composite breeds account for 82% of the ewe populationMost ewes are lambed outdoors. While sheep numbers have declined dramatically (by 52%) since 1990, lamb carcase output has only declined by 8% due to an increase in carcase weight and in the number of lambs reared per ewe joined.In Ireland, since 1990 lamb carcase output had declined by 20%. During this period, while ewe numbers declined by 46% the ratio of lowland to hill ewes has increased. Lamb carcase weight increased by 5% and the number of lambs reared per ewe joined has not changed significantly. Read more
EID tagging a 7% income cut for sheep farmers - ICSA
Listen: 'Best available traceability technology' – Creed defends EID sheep tags
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit both Australia and New Zealand as part of the SheepNet National Facilitators tour, with the aim of exchanging knowledge and experiences on how to improve ewe productivity.
SheepNet is an EU-funded project on sheep productivity and involves the six main EU sheep-producing countries (Ireland, France, United Kingdom, Romania, Spain and Italy) and Turkey. Ewe productivity (number of lambs reared per ewe joined), which has been static for the past few decades, is a combination of reproduction success, embryonic and lamb survival and litter size.
My objective, in this article, is to present information on the New Zealand sheep industry and on some of the farms that we visited.
New Zealand sheep industry
The number of sheep in New Zealand peaked in 1982, with a total of 70.3m. Sheep numbers have been in decline since then for a number of reasons, including competition from other farm enterprises, especially dairy and forestry, depressed wool prices and droughts in the 1990s. Currently, there are a total of 27.6m sheep, which comprises 18.1m breeding ewes and 9.4m ewe replacements, wethers and rams. There are similar numbers of sheep on both the North and South Islands.
While sheep numbers have declined by 52% since 1990, the amount of sheepmeat produced has only fallen by 8% due to the average lamb carcase weight increasing by 4.7kg and a higher number of lambs reared per ewe joined. The mean lamb carcase weight is 18.4kg. The number of lambs reared per ewe joined is 1.28 compared with 1.0 in 1990.
New Zealand produces 0.47m tonnes of sheepmeat annually (Ireland produces 60,000t). The annual per-capita consumption of sheepmeat in New Zealand is 10.3kg person (in Ireland annual consumption is 3.2kg per capita) and 97% of its sheepmeat production is exported. The value of the sheepmeat industry is approximately €1.63bn ($2.8bn at €1 = NZ$1.72) and is increasing annually by adding value. Currently 98% of lamb is exported as cuts and only 2% is exported in carcase form.
The EU accounts for 44% of the total value of New Zealand lamb exports, the main markets within the EU being the UK, Germany, Netherlands, France and Belgium, which account for 16%, 10%, 8%, 4% and 3%, respectively, of the value of lamb exports. Outside of the EU, China, the US, Canada and Saudi Arabia are the biggest markets accounting for 19%, 12% and 3% of the value of lamb meat exports, respectively. North Asia, the EU, South Asia and US are the largest export markets for New Zealand mutton, accounting for 62%, 18%, 8% and 6% of mutton exports, respectively.
New Zealand is the third largest producer of wool in the world and produces 9.5% of world production. During our visit, producers were receiving €1.63/kg (NZ$2.8/kg) for wool.
At farm level
Sheep farms in New Zealand are very large compared with flocks in Ireland. The mean number of ewes joined with rams on New Zealand sheep farms is approximately 2,800 (The average age of sheep farmers is 58 years). Romney is the most common breed of sheep; Romney and composite breeds incorporating Romney (Perendale, Coopworth) account for approximately 82% of the ewe population. Merino and Corriedale (a composite breed incorporating Merino) account for approximately 8% of the ewe population. Producers were receiving €4.36/kg (NZ$7.50/kg) lamb carcase and as mentioned already €1.63/kg (NZ$2.80/kg) for wool.
Farm visits
The first farm we visited was 172km south of Queenstown near the bottom of the South Island. While the mean annual rainfall is 1,200mm, the farm was in a drought situation during our visit. This farm measured 632ha and had 1,400 Romney ewes and 400 hinds. There was also a suckler cow enterprise, which was used to graze paddocks after the sheep.
Target body condition score of the ewes at mating is between 3 and 3.5, with ewes weighing 83kg, on average. While the target weight of ewe lambs at joining is 48kg, all ewe lambs heavier than 40 kg are joined. Lambing occurs outdoors. Ewes are over wintered on turnips and kale (50ha sown annually), and extended (deferred) grazing is practised in swards with covers of up to 1,800kg dry matter per ha (measured to ground level). All ewes are vaccinated for toxoplasmosis and campylobacter abortion agents, and for clostridial diseases.
Lambs are dosed for internal parasites once prior to weaning and are given up to three treatments post weaning using products containing a combination of active ingredients.
The ewes and ewe lambs had scanned litter size of 2.4 and 1.56 lambs, and reared 1.7 and 1.3 lambs per ewe, respectively. All ewes on the farm are recorded as the farm specialises in producing rams for breeding. In New Zealand, they are considering reducing the weighting of the number of lambs born in the breeding index because of the high levels of mortality in the larger litters.
The second farm we visited was 5,500ha with an annual rainfall of 1,100mm. This farm was also in a drought situation and 3,000 store lambs were drafted for sale on the day of our visit to manage feed supply. There were 13,700 ewes, 4,000 hinds and 1,000 suckler cows on the farm. The cattle graze the paddocks after the sheep. All of the ewes are recorded for the production of rams for breeding. The farm is operated by nine staff.
The three main key performance indices on this farm are the number of lambs born, lamb weaning weight and ewe mortality.
Target lamb weight at weaning is 33kg. Approximately 3,000 ewes produce triplets annually. Ewes are managed in groups (a maximum of 1,000 ewes), and rotationally grazed.
The third farm that we visited was near Lake Taupo in the middle of the North Island. The farm was 1,780ha and had 3,000 ewes, 1,100 hinds and 1,000 cattle. All of the sheep were recorded and the main farm enterprise was the production of rams for breeding. Approximately 800 rams are sold annually. The farm was run by seven staff.
The mean scanned litter size was 2.3 lambs and the number of lambs reared per ewe joined was 1.5. Lambing occurs outdoors and ewes are over wintered on swedes, kale and extended (deferred) grazed pasture.
Ewes are set-stocked on pasture (40 ewes/ha) prior to lambing, and remain in these groups until approximately five weeks post-lambing. Grass yield can be as high as 3,000kg DM per hectare (measured to ground level). A number of the groups are merged together post-lambing to enable paddocks to be closed for silage production.
The final farm visit was to a dairy-sheep farm milking 2,100 ewes. All lambs are artificially reared on eight automatic feeders. The ewes are kept indoors until they reach peak lactation. Subsequently, they are turned out to pasture. Mean lactation yield of milk is 200kg per ewe.
New Zealand is the world’s second largest exporter of lamb and sheepmeat and has an annual output of 0.47m tonnes of sheepmeat.The EU is its most valuable export market, accounting for 44% of the value of sheepmeat exports Romney and composite breeds account for 82% of the ewe populationMost ewes are lambed outdoors. While sheep numbers have declined dramatically (by 52%) since 1990, lamb carcase output has only declined by 8% due to an increase in carcase weight and in the number of lambs reared per ewe joined.In Ireland, since 1990 lamb carcase output had declined by 20%. During this period, while ewe numbers declined by 46% the ratio of lowland to hill ewes has increased. Lamb carcase weight increased by 5% and the number of lambs reared per ewe joined has not changed significantly. Read more
EID tagging a 7% income cut for sheep farmers - ICSA
Listen: 'Best available traceability technology' – Creed defends EID sheep tags
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