Accredited official statistics

Livestock populations in the United Kingdom at 1 June 2023

Updated 28 March 2024

This release contains the estimates of cattle, sheep, pig and poultry populations on agricultural holdings in the UK on 1 June 2023. The notice is compiled using data available at the time of publication.

Results are sourced from the June Surveys run in each country.

The result tables are available at Livestock populations in the United Kingdom. This dataset contains detailed breakdowns for all livestock, including other livestock.

This release now includes revisions to 2022 because of changes to Scotland and Northern Ireland data. Scotland did not run the June Agricultural Census in 2022 due to improvement work around their census. Previous estimates used administrative data, for example from the Single Application Form (SAF) in place of June Census results. 2022 results for Scotland now included in this release are based on administrative data available in 2022 and/or imputation from 2021 or 2023 to account for those holdings not captured previously. Northern Ireland delayed publication of 2022 June survey results until early 2023. Previously carried forward data from 2021 is replaced by final 2022 survey results.

Full details and a table to show the scale of revisions can be found in Section 2.4

Key points

• The total number of cattle and calves in the UK is just under 9.6 million in June 2023. The breeding herd saw a decrease of 1.9% and now stands at 3.2 million.
• In 2023, the total number of pigs in the UK fell by 10% to 4.7 million animals. Breeding pigs saw a small decrease of 0.2%, while fattening pigs fell by 11%.
• The total number of sheep and lambs fell by 4.1%, to just under 32.0 million. The female breeding flock decreased by 2.4% to 15.4 million whilst the number of lambs also saw a drop, falling by 6.1% and now stands at 15.5 million.
• The total number of poultry decreased by 2.9% to 178 million in 2023. Broiler numbers saw a fall of 4.3%, to 116 million whilst the breeding and laying flock saw an increase of 2.5% to almost 54 million.

Section 1 – Detailed results

1.1 Cattle

The number of cattle and calves in the UK has decreased by 0.8% between 2022 and 2023 and now stands at just under 9.6 million animals.

Figure 1: Dairy and beef herd numbers in the United Kingdom at 1 June (Number of cattle)

year	Beef herd	Dairy herd	Total
2019	1,526,795	1,871,462	3,398,257
2020	1,508,937	1,850,228	3,359,165
2021	1,485,283	1,850,042	3,335,325
2022	1,462,980	1,841,845	3,304,825
2023	1,407,171	1,836,164	3,243,335

The breeding herd accounts for over a third of total cattle and fell by 1.9% to 3.2 million in 2023. The dairy herd saw little change and remains at 1.8 million animals, accounting for just over half of the breeding herd. The beef herd decreased by 3.8% to 1.4 million animals (Figure 1) continuing the downward trend seen in recent years.

1.2 Pigs

The number of pigs in the UK has decreased by 10% to 4.7 million in 2023. This is largely driven by an 11% fall in the number of fattening pigs, which now stand at just under 4.3 million. The number of breeding pigs fell by 0.2%. The female breeding herd account for almost 80% of breeding pigs and decreased by 1.5%, falling to 338 thousand. This is the lowest it has been in the past 21 years and decreases were seen across sows in pigs and other sows, however gilts in pig saw a rise of 13% (Figure 2). Other breeding pigs saw an increase in 2023, rising by 5.1% from 86 thousand to 90 thousand.

Figure 2: Breakdown of the female pig breeding herd in the United Kingdom at 1 June (Number of pigs)

Year	Sows in pig	Gilts in pig	Other sows	Total
2019	295,220	57,007	61,262	413,489
2020	295,309	56,741	50,147	402,197
2021	281,954	53,636	62,808	398,398
2022	247,004	42,304	53,794	343,102
2023	238,228	47,808	51,897	337,933

(1) Other sows are those either being suckled or dry sows kept for further breeding.

1.3 Sheep

The number of sheep and lambs in the UK has decreased by 4.1% to 32 million in 2023.

Lambs account for almost half of all sheep and saw a decrease of 6.1%, falling to 15.5 million. Wales saw the largest proportional fall in numbers which could be linked to the increased price in feed which may have caused farmers to reduce numbers. The female breeding flock accounts for a further 49% of all sheep and also saw a decrease in 2023, dropping by 2.4% to 15.4 million sheep (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Breakdown of the total sheep in the United Kingdom at 1 June (Number of sheep)

year	Female breeding flock	Other sheep and lambs	Total
2019	16,035,049	17,544,583	33,579,632
2020	15,369,528	17,327,913	32,697,441
2021	15,624,233	17,332,789	32,957,022
2022	15,825,519	17,348,229	33,173,748
2023	15,437,826	16,364,710	31,802,536

1.4 Poultry

The number of poultry in the UK has decreased by 2.9% to 178 million birds in 2023. The number of breeding and laying fowl increased by 2.5% to 54 million. Broilers (table chickens) saw a decrease of 4.3%, falling to 116 million birds, which accounts for just under two thirds of the total poultry flock.

Figure 4: Breakdown of the total breeding and laying flock in the United Kingdom at 1 June (Number of birds)

Year	Hens and pullets laying eggs for eating	Breeding flock	Total
2019	41,346,335	13,385,428	54,731,763
2020	39,758,425	13,785,080	53,543,505
2021	40,567,728	12,270,905	52,838,633
2022	40,442,225	12,020,826	52,463,051
2023	41,072,748	12,719,650	53,792,398

Section 2 – About these statistics

2.1 Data uses and users

• Data from the June Survey help us monitor changes in livestock populations over time and effects of changing policies, including during the agricultural transition period.
• The numbers are also used to make forecasts of meat and milk production to inform industry of the availability of supply which affects prices.
• Livestock distributions across the UK help assess the risk of veterinary disease and to control outbreaks.
• The data are also used heavily in calculations of the greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions inventories.

Results from the England June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture also have a wide range of uses and users with requests for data being made daily. A document providing information of specific uses and users can be found on our guidance and notes.

2.2 Other survey results and publications

More detailed results from the June Survey can be found on our Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June web page. This includes various time series of crop areas and livestock numbers dating back as early as 1866 and detailed geographical breakdowns of the results.

The results from the June Survey of Agriculture 2024 in England are expected to be published as follows:

• Cereal and oilseed rape areas and Livestock populations in August 2024.
• Agricultural land use and Agricultural workforce data expected to be available in September 2024.

United Kingdom results are expected to be published in December 2024.

Provisional cereal and oilseed harvest statistics for England are expected to be published in October 2024, with United Kingdom estimates expected in December 2024.

The definitive publication dates will be announced on the research and statistics webpage on gov.uk.

2.3 Methodology: June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture

Data on crop areas and livestock populations are collected in the June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture carried out by each of the UK agriculture departments. The methodology adopted by each country is below.

England

England results are from the June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture in 2023. The June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture was historically a postal survey run annually. However, from 2011 onwards, the survey has been run predominantly online with an option for farmers to complete a paper form if they preferred. The last census was run in 2021.

The June 2023 survey was sent to a sample of 30,000 commercial holdings and responses were received from 17,000 holdings, representing a response rate of almost 56%. Commercial holdings are defined as those with more than five hectares of agricultural land, one hectare of orchards, 0.5 hectares of vegetables or 0.1 hectares of protected crops, or more than 10 cows, 50 pigs, 20 sheep, 20 goats or 1,000 poultry.

Table 1 provides details of the sample survey population broken down by farm size. The size of a farm is determined by its Standard Labour Requirement (SLR). i.e. the typical number of full-time workers required on the holding. In the SLR system, each livestock type and land-use has a theoretical amount of labour required each year. This value is multiplied by the land area or livestock numbers and then summed to give the SLR for the holding. For pig and poultry sectors, an additional data collection exercise was run to collect data from a central point for some of the largest companies.

Table 1: June 2023 population size and response rate

Stratum	Description	Sampling rate (%)	Population size
1	SLR < 0.5	11%	51813
2	SLR >= 0.5 and < 1	20%	14898
3	SLR >= 1 and < 2	36%	13374
4	SLR >= 2 and < 3	52%	7130
5	SLR >= 3 and < 5	70%	7019
6	SLR >= 5	83%	7423
10	SLR unknown	27%	4790
	All	28%	106447

Cattle results are sourced from the Cattle Tracing System (CTS). The data include returns from all holdings with cattle so are not subject to survey error. More information on the use of this administrative data can be found on the survey notes and guidance report

The data are subject to rigorous validation checks which identify inconsistencies within the data or large year-on-year changes. Any records that have not been cleaned by the results production stage are excluded from the analysis.

Population totals are estimated for each question on the survey to account for the non-sampled and non-responding holdings. This survey uses the technique known as ratio raising, in which the trend between the sample data and base data (previous year’s data) is calculated for each stratum. The calculated ratio is then applied to the previous year’s population data to give England level estimates. For holdings where we do not have base data (new holdings or long-term non-responders) the sample estimates are raised according to the inverse sampling fraction.

Crop areas and cattle, sheep and pig populations from the England 2023 June Survey were published on 28 September 2023 and can be viewed on our Statistics about the structure of the agricultural industry web page

More details on the June Survey methodology can be found on the Structure of the agricultural industry: survey notes and guidance web page

Scotland

Final results for Scotland were published by the Scottish Government on 31 October 2023 at: www.gov.scot/collections/june-scottish-agricultural-census

The June Agricultural Census is conducted annually by the Scottish Government’s Rural and Environmental Science Analytical Services division (RESAS). Data are requested from all holdings who submitted a Single Application Form (SAF) in the previous year, together with some other large businesses that would not be eligible for support payments. A sample of smaller holdings which didn’t submit a SAF or who didn’t return a form for the previous census were also sent a census form.

Data for the June census is collected from three sources:

• Land data were extracted from the Single Application Form (SAF) database for around 22,800 holdings that are claiming under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS).
• All holdings within our sample were sent a census form covering land, livestock and labour. Holdings completing a SAF were not expected to complete section 3 (land area) of the census form.
• All cattle data (including data on cattle breeds) were collected from the Cattle Tracing Scheme administrative source. Farmers are required by law to register any births, deaths and movements of their cattle to the British Cattle Movement service who maintain an online database. More information can be found online here. By using this data source we effectively have 100 per cent coverage, even for those smaller holdings that were not selected for inclusion in the census.

RESAS categorises all agricultural holdings in Scotland as either a “Main” holding or a “Min” holding. A holding is a “Main” if it meets certain thresholds such as a certain area of land or a certain amount of animals. All “Main” holdings in Scotland are included in the census. The smaller holdings are only surveyed once every four years to reduce the burden on the smaller farms. Holdings which have not received a form in the past four years are included in the sample.

There are 44,698 known agricultural holdings in Scotland and within the census 33,215 were selected to complete a census form (the majority of these online). Of those who received a request to complete the census 18,269 provided a return, resulting in a 55 per cent response rate.

Table 2 below shows the response rates for different types of farms. The first column shows the percentage of holdings that responded. Due to the fact that some larger farms account for a larger proportion of overall activity or land area in Scotland, the second column shows what percentage of land area, livestock or workforce each category represents. In most cases this is higher than the percentage of holdings, indicating that there is better coverage in the census of larger holdings.

Table 2: Percentage cover of holdings, land area, livestock and workforce for different farm features

	percentage cover of holdings	percentage cover of land, livestock or workforce
Total cereals (hectares)	87%	97%
Total crops, set aside & fallow (hectares)	71%	96%
Total sole right agricultural land (hectares)	59%	97%
Total cattle (number)	100%	100%
Total sheep (number)	48%	67%
Total pigs (number)	27%	63%
Total occupiers and spouses (number)	51%	52%
Total regular & seasonal staff (number)	61%	60%
Total agricultural workforce (number)	52%	56%

Online Data Collection in Scotland

Since 2017 respondents have been able to complete their census online, through the Rural Payments and Services website. This year, all those in the sample who had completed the June Census online the previous year or had an account with the Rural Payments and Services online portal were sent an email notification to complete the survey. All other census recipients received paper forms. In total, 11,792 SAF holdings returned online data,?84 per cent of SAF census returns or 51 per cent of the SAF sample. In addition, we received 1,284 online non-SAF returns. For future surveys RESAS will continue to improve the online response rate.

The June Agricultural Census for Scotland did not take place in 2022 due to improvement work around the census. The 2022 estimates presented here are based on administrative data available in 2022 and/or imputation from 2021 or 2023 Census. For more information on revisions to 2022 data for Scotland see section 2.4

For further details contact Scottish Government: RESAS Statistics (Agriculture) Email: agric.stats@gov.scot.

Wales

The Welsh population currently stands at around 25,000 active holdings. In 2023 a total of 10,200 survey forms were sent out. Final results were based on a response rate of 49%. Final results for Wales were published by the Welsh Government on 23 November 2023 at: https://gov.wales/survey-agriculture-and-horticulture

For further details contact Agricultural & Rural Affairs Statistics, Welsh Government, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ (telephone: Cardiff 03000 255049). E-mail: stats.agric@gov.wales

Northern Ireland

The 2020 Northern Ireland Agricultural and Horticultural Survey introduced key methodological changes both in how the data was collected and processed.

A new farm census register was created which had an increased number of farms.

Due to COVID-19, a letter inviting farms to take part was issued to all farms and data collected online only for the first time. Some questions were simplified or removed to streamline the online collection experience and reduce the burden on farms.

In 2023, the Northern Ireland Agricultural and Horticultural Survey was conducted as a full census using online data collection. Data for the pig and poultry sections are also complete censuses extracted from the NI Annual Inventory of Pigs and Update of NI Bird Register respectively. Data for the cattle section was extracted from the APHIS cattle tracing database as in previous years.

Telephone support was provided for farmers who could not complete online and a focussed telephone follow-up of non-responding farms was carried out.

A statistical estimation and imputation methodology was used to create statistics for those who did not provide a return.

A total of 28,440 letters were issued and a final farm register of 26,131 created. Results are based on 15,704 completed questionnaires.

Final results will be published on 14th December 2023 by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) for Northern Ireland and can be viewed at: www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/agricultural-census-northern-ireland

2.4 Revisions

In 2022 estimates were used to calculate a UK total. Northern Ireland had delayed their publication of 2022 June survey results until January 2023 and therefore 2021 data was carried forward. Scotland used administrative data from the Single Application form (SAF) in place of June Survey results while their Agricultural Statistic Transformation program was running. Final data has now been received from Northern Ireland and Scotland and the 2022 data has been revised accordingly. The scale of revisions can be seen in table 3 and further details can be found in the methodology section for both Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Table 3: June 2022 UK Livestock Populations scale of revision

Livestock	2022	2022 revised	% change
Total cattle	9,631,892	9,631,892	0.0%
Total sheep	33,066,478	33,173,748	0.3%
Total pigs	5,191,917	5,219,571	0.5%
Total poultry	188,186,548	183,487,755	-2.5%

2.5 Feedback

We welcome feedback and any thoughts to improve the publication further. Please send any feedback to: farming-statistics@defra.gov.uk.

Section 3 - What you need to know about this release

3.1 Contact details

Responsible statistician: Sarah Thompson

Team: Farming Statistics – Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Email: farming-statistics@defra.gov.uk

Tel: 0300 060 0170

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 regulation@statistics.gov.uk 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.
• Enhanced trustworthiness by removing pre-release access.