Accredited official statistics

Livestock populations in the United Kingdom at 1 December

Updated 17 December 2024

This release shows the number of cattle and sheep on agricultural holdings in the United Kingdom on 1 December 2023.

Information on data sources and methodology can be found in Section 2.

The results tables are available at Livestock populations in the United Kingdom at June and December (dataset). This dataset contains detailed breakdowns for cattle, sheep and pigs at 1 June and 1 December. Pig statistics are no longer available for the United Kingdom at 1 December.

Key findings

• There were 9.2 million cattle and calves in the United Kingdom on 1 December 2023, a decrease of 1.8% since December 2022.
• There were 3.2 million cattle in the breeding herd, a decrease of 2.2% since last December.
• The total number of sheep and lambs in the United Kingdom was 21.2 million on 1 December 2023, a decrease of 5.1% since December 2022.
• The female sheep breeding flock decreased by 4.3% between December 2022 and 2023 to 13.8 million.

Section 1 – Detailed results

1.1 Cattle

The number of cattle and calves in the UK have decreased by 1.8% between December 2022 and December 2023 and now stands at 9.2 million.

The female breeding herd accounts for around a third of the total number of cattle in the United Kingdom and has decreased by 2.2% to 3.2 million in December 2023. The beef herd fell by 4.4% and now stands at 1.3 million whilst the dairy herd saw little change at 1.8 million. The beef breeding herd continues to drive the gradual decline seen in the breeding herd over the last 5 years (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Female dairy and beef breeding herds on 1 December (number of cattle)

Year	Beef herd	Dairy herd	Total
2019	1,469,967	1,867,463	3,337,430
2020	1,451,068	1,855,954	3,307,022
2021	1,437,334	1,858,647	3,295,981
2022	1,395,990	1,848,254	3,244,244
2023	1,334,691	1,839,277	3,173,968

1.2 Sheep

The number of sheep and lambs in the UK saw a decrease of 5.1% since December 2022 and stands at 21.2 million in December 2023. Over the same period the female breeding flock decreased by 4.3% to just under 13.8 million, while other sheep and lambs decreased by 6.6% to 7.4 million (Figure 2). All UK nations, with the exception of Northern Ireland, saw a fall in the number of sheep and lambs in December 2023 compared to 2022. Wales saw the largest proportional fall in numbers and stated this was likely due in part to increasing costs.

Figure 2: Breakdown of the total number of sheep on 1 December (number of sheep)

Year	Female breeding flock	Other sheep and lambs	Total
2019	13,857,383	8,921,312	22,778,695
2020	14,083,860	8,050,231	22,134,091
2021	14,275,676	8,007,378	22,283,053
2022	14,411,484	7,944,292	22,355,775
2023	13,795,731	7,416,491	21,212,222

Section 2 – About these Statistics

2.1 Survey methodology

England

Data in this publication is mainly sourced from administrative data.

Cattle population data are sourced from the Cattle Tracing System (CTS). The data include returns from all holdings with cattle so are not subject to survey error. The background report is available on the CTS Review web page.

Sheep data is sourced from the Sheep and Goat Inventory (a regulatory exercise requiring all sheep and goat keepers to record animals under their keepership on 1 December each year). The register of sheep holdings in England is maintained by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and the data is primarily used for livestock tracing and identification purposes but we also use this data to estimate the size of the English sheep flock.

In December 2022, the methodology for dealing with non-responses and the population definition was changed to align more closely with the methodology used in the June Survey of Agriculture. Results for 2021 were also produced to be on the same basis, therefore December sheep estimates for England relate only to sheep on commercial* agricultural holdings from 2021 onwards.

For more information on the methodology change and for details of the scale of change please see Livestock Populations in England at June and December dataset (metadata tab).

• Commercial holdings definition

Commercial holdings are defined as those with significant levels of farming activity. This covers holdings with more than either 5 ha agricultural land, 1ha orchards, 0.5ha vegetables, 0.1ha protected crops, 10 cows, 50 pigs, 20 sheep, 20 goats or 1,000 poultry.

Data analysis

The sheep data are subject to rigorous validation checks which identify inconsistencies within the data or large year-on-year changes.

Population totals are estimated for sheep to account for the non-sampled and non-responding holdings. This is done using the technique known as ratio raising, in which the trend between the response data (December Sheep and Goat inventory) and base data (previous June Survey response data) is calculated for each item. The calculated ratio is then applied to the previous June Survey population data to give England level estimates for December.

Wales

Until 2012 sheep numbers were collected via the Welsh December survey of agriculture. Since 2013 the sheep data have been sourced from the Welsh Sheep and Goats Inventory, which is an annual exercise requiring all sheep and goat keepers to record animals under their keepership as at 1 January. The Inventory figures are adjusted to take account of the number of sheep slaughtered during December to produce an equivalent figure. Cattle data are taken from the Cattle Tracing System (an administrative system primarily set up for animal health monitoring purposes).

Further details of agricultural statistics in Wales can be found on the Welsh Government website.

Scotland

The December Agricultural Survey was discontinued in 2021. December livestock figures continue to be collected through the Cattle Tracing System (CTS) and the Annual Sheep and Goat Inventory (SGI).

The SGI collects numbers of sheep and goats as of 1 December from all identified sheep keepers across Scotland. The 2023 SGI was hosted fully online and there has been a change in the overall response rate: 63% as at March 2023 compared with 75% in the previous year when online and paper options were offered.

The 2023 SGI figures are estimated based on a different methodology to previous years. Previously estimates were made for non-response but a new methodology has been used in 2023 in part due to the decrease in the 2023 SGI response rate.

The 2023 SGI total sheep estimate is based on the 2022 ratio of SGI total sheep to June Agricultural Census total sheep. This ratio was applied to the total sheep figure from the 2023 June Agricultural Census to estimate 2023 SGI total sheep. The 2023 SGI sheep category proportions were then applied to calculate the 2023 SGI estimates.

Cattle results are sourced from the CTS. The data include returns from all holdings with cattle.

Full results by the Scottish Government, Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services, Q Spur, Saughton House, Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh, EH11 3XD (e-mail [email protected] ) and will be available at www.gov.scot/collections/june-scottish-agricultural-census/

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland information is compiled from several administrative data sources. Cattle data is taken from the Northern Ireland Food Animal Information System (NIFAIS) and sheep data is taken from the NI Sheep and Goat Inventory. NIFAIS replaced Animal and Public Health Information System (APHIS) in October 2023. This administrative data is supplemented by the June and Agricultural and Horticultural Census to create representative estimates for all of Northern Ireland as at December.

Full results from the Agricultural and Horticultural Census Northern Ireland are published by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for Northern Ireland, Dundonald House, Belfast, BT4 3SB (telephone: Belfast (02890) 525450) and will be available at www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/agricultural-census-northern-ireland

2.2 Data notes

• All percentage changes are based on unrounded figures.
• Totals may not necessarily agree with the sum of their components due to rounding.

2.3 Data uses and users

• The data are used to monitor changes in livestock populations over time which indicates changes to farming structures.
• The data are also used in forecasts of meat and milk production to inform industry of the availability of supply. This in turn affects prices.
• The data are also used to value the livestock industry and to estimate the farming contribution to GDP.
• The December Sheep and Cattle location data (from administrative sources) are also used to assess the risk of animal diseases and to control outbreaks.

2.4 Other survey results and publications

Results from all the Defra farming surveys can be viewed on the Defra website. This also contains details of future publication dates.

The next publication for December livestock populations for the UK is expected to be at the end of March 2025. The definitive publication date will be announced on the research and statistics webpage on gov.uk.

A full timeseries on the number of cattle, sheep and pigs in England and the UK each year are available here Livestock populations - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

2.5 Feedback

We welcome feedback and any thoughts to improve the publication further. Please send any feedback to: [email protected]. Suggested questions to help you structure your feedback are below, but all feedback is welcome:

• How relevant is the current content of the publication to your needs as a user?
• What purpose do you require the data for?
• Which data do you find most useful?
• Is there any content that you did not find useful?
• Do you have any suggestions for further development of this release, including additional content, presentation, and any other thoughts?

Section 3 - What you need to know about this release

3.1 Contact details

Responsible statistician: Jennifer James

Email: [email protected]

3.2 Accredited official statistics

Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. An explanation can be found on the Office for Statistics Regulation website.

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

These accredited official statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in 2014. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and should be labelled ‘accredited official statistics’.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards (see contact details). Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing [email protected] or via the OSR website.

Since the latest review by the Office for Statistics Regulation, we have continued to comply with the Code of Practice for Statistics, and have made the following improvements:

• Reviewed and amended the validation checks carried out on response data including validation against new administrative data sources to better assure ourselves of the quality of the statistics.
• Reviewed and updated the methodology for sheep and lamb estimates.
• Enhanced trustworthiness by removing pre-release access.