date:Feb 28, 2014
ual Sheep and Goat Inventory. And pig numbers and all the crop areas are derived from a sample survey of farmers.
The DARD survey also found the number of beef cows in December 2013 was 258,400 a decrease of six per cent compared with the previous year.
This is the lowest level since 2009 and reverses three years of consistent increases. Increasing costs of production for suckled beef and the impacts of bad weather in the second half of 2012 and the first half of 2013 are believed to be the mai