| Total Cereals | Cattle | Sheep | |
| '000 hectares(ha) | |||
| '000 | '000 | ||
| June 2017 | 272.4 | 7,363.5 | 5,197.1 |
| June 2018 | 260.9 | 7,348.5 | 5,105.5 |
| % change | -4.2 | -0.2 | -1.8 |
Preliminary estimates for June 2018 show that the area under cereals decreased by 11,600 hectares (ha) (-4.2%) to 260,900 ha when compared to June 2017. This was mainly due to a decrease of 9,100 ha (-13.6%) in the area under wheat, a decrease of 7,300 ha (-11.2%) in the area under winter barley and a decrease of 6,800 ha (-27.6%) in the area under oats. The area under spring barley showed an increase of 11,800 ha (+10.2%). See Table 1 and Figure 2.
The total number of sheep was 5,105,500 a decrease of 91,600 (-1.8%) on June 2017. The number of non-breeding sheep decreased by 75,000 (-2.9%) and breeding sheep decreased by 16,600 (-0.6%). See Table 3.
The June 2018 results also show that:
| X-axis label | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter wheat | 60.4 | 60.3 | 54.4 |
| Spring wheat | 7.5 | 6.8 | 3.6 |
| Winter Oats | 13.2 | 14.4 | 10.2 |
| Spring Oats | 10 | 10 | 7.5 |
| Winter Barley | 74.6 | 65 | 57.7 |
| Spring Barley | 114.6 | 115.2 | 126.9 |
| Potatoes | 9 | 9.2 | 8.2 |
| Table 1 Area under Crops | |||||
| Description | June 2016 | June 2017 | June 2018 | Change 2017 - 2018 | |
| ' 000 hectares | ' 000 hectares | % | |||
| Wheat - total | 67.9 | 67.0 | 57.9 | -9.1 | -13.6 |
| Winter wheat | 60.4 | 60.3 | 54.4 | -5.9 | -9.8 |
| Spring wheat | 7.5 | 6.8 | 3.6 | -3.2 | -47.4 |
| Oats - total | 23.2 | 24.4 | 17.7 | -6.8 | -27.6 |
| Winter oats | 13.2 | 14.4 | 10.2 | -4.2 | -29.4 |
| Spring oats | 10.0 | 10.0 | 7.5 | -2.5 | -25.1 |
| Barley - total | 189.2 | 180.2 | 184.7 | 4.5 | 2.5 |
| Winter barley | 74.6 | 65.0 | 57.7 | -7.3 | -11.2 |
| Spring barley | 114.6 | 115.2 | 126.9 | 11.8 | 10.2 |
| Other cereals | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 | -0.1 | -17.4 |
| Total cereals | 281.1 | 272.4 | 260.9 | -11.6 | -4.2 |
| Potatoes | 9.0 | 9.2 | 8.2 | -1.0 | -10.8 |
| Table 2 Number of Cattle | |||||
| Description | June 2016 | June 2017 | June 2018 | Change 2017 - 2018 | |
| ' 000 | ' 000 | % | |||
| Total cattle | 7,221.2 | 7,363.5 | 7,348.5 | -15.0 | -0.2 |
| Dairy cows1 | 1,397.9 | 1,432.7 | 1,480.9 | 48.2 | 3.4 |
| Other cows | 1,103.7 | 1,081.0 | 1,047.9 | -33.1 | -3.1 |
| Bulls2 | 25.0 | 16.9 | 10.9 | -6.0 | -35.5 |
| Cattle male: 2 years and over | 391.1 | 431.7 | 442.5 | 10.8 | 2.5 |
| Cattle female: 2 years and over | 324.4 | 356.4 | 369.3 | 12.9 | 3.6 |
| Cattle male: 1-2 years | 872.7 | 902.3 | 895.0 | -7.3 | -0.8 |
| Cattle female: 1-2 years | 980.5 | 1,011.6 | 1,023.7 | 12.0 | 1.2 |
| Cattle male: under 1 year | 1,045.6 | 1,033.5 | 998.1 | -35.5 | -3.4 |
| Cattle female: under 1 year | 1,080.3 | 1,097.4 | 1,080.3 | -17.1 | -1.6 |
| Total cattle male | 2,334.5 | 2,384.5 | 2,346.5 | -38.0 | -1.6 |
| Total cattle female | 4,886.7 | 4,979.0 | 5,002.0 | 23.0 | 0.5 |
| 1 Dairy cows are those kept principally to produce milk for human consumption. | |||||
| 2 Bulls used for breeding purposes only. | |||||
| Table 3 Number of Sheep | |||||
| Description | June 2016 | June 2017 | June 2018 | Change 2017 - 2018 | |
| ' 000 | ' 000 | % | |||
| Total sheep | 5,179.2 | 5,197.1 | 5,105.5 | -91.6 | -1.8 |
| Breeding sheep | 2,582.8 | 2,593.5 | 2,577.0 | -16.6 | -0.6 |
| Ewes: 2 years and over | 2,025.1 | 2,033.0 | 2,020.5 | -12.5 | -0.6 |
| Ewes: under 2 years | 479.9 | 482.2 | 479.2 | -3.0 | -0.6 |
| Rams | 77.8 | 78.4 | 77.2 | -1.2 | -1.5 |
| Other sheep | 2,596.4 | 2,603.6 | 2,528.6 | -75.0 | -2.9 |
Introduction
This release presents provisional estimates of land utilisation and livestock numbers in June 2018 at State level. The estimates for sheep are based on returns from the 2018 June sample survey of agricultural holdings, conducted by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). The estimates for cattle and for crops are obtained from administrative data from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
Coverage Farms where the agricultural area used was at least one hectare (2.47 acres) are included in the June Agricultural Sample Survey. Farms with less than one hectare may also be included if they were engaged in intensive production.
Results
Crops The results for crops are based on data obtained from the DAFM Basic Payment Scheme.
Cattle The results for cattle are obtained from DAFM’s Animal Identification and Movement (AIM) system, formerly known as the Cattle Movement Monitoring System (CMMS). This system was introduced at the beginning of 2000 and involves electronically recording data on animal movements.
Sheep The June 2018 results for sheep are based on the trends obtained by comparing the returns from the 2018 sample with the 2017 returns for the same 7,400 farms and applying these trends to the June 2017 figures.
As the figures in the text and tables have been rounded to the nearest 100 units, there may be slight discrepancies between the sum (or difference) of the constituent items and the total shown. Percentage changes have been calculated on actual figures.
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