Sheep farming in New Zealand

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Landscape 'carpeted' with sheep New Zealand - Landscape - 8675.jpg
Landscape 'carpeted' with sheep

Sheep farming is a significant industry in New Zealand. According to 2007 figures reported by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, there are 39 million sheep in the country (a count of about 10 per human). The country has the highest density of sheep per unit area in the world. For 130 years, sheep farming was the country's most important agricultural industry, but it was overtaken by dairy farming in 1987. Sheep numbers peaked in New Zealand in 1982 to 70 million and then dropped to about 27.6 million. [1] There are 16,000 sheep and beef farms in the country which has made the country the world's largest exporter of lambs, with 24 million finished lambs recorded every year. [2]

Contents

History

Glenmark mansion in the late 1880s, built for George Henry Moore, which served to demonstrate its owner's extreme wealth Glenmark mansion.jpg
Glenmark mansion in the late 1880s, built for George Henry Moore, which served to demonstrate its owner's extreme wealth

Sheep were introduced into New Zealand between 1773 and 1777 with credit to James Cook, the British explorer. Samuel Marsden, a missionary, introduced some flocks of sheep to the Bay of Islands, and then also farmed in Mana Island close to Wellington for the purpose of feeding the whalers. [3] The period between 1856 and 1987 was a bonanza period for sheep farming, resulting in economic prosperity of the country.

19th century

Johnny Jones was an early settler in Otago. When the whaling boom ended, he switched to farming in 1840. He was the first Pākehā who settled large numbers of immigrants on the east coast of the South Island, and he imported sheep amongst other stock for this purpose. [4] One of the first to bring substantial numbers of sheep to Canterbury was John Deans in 1843. As was usual at the time, the sheep were bought in Australia. [5] John Cracroft Wilson's endeavours of setting up as a sheep farmer in 1854 demonstrate the hardship that early settlers and stock often faced. He had a disastrous journey from Sydney where much of his stock died and 1,200 sheep had to be jettisoned. After landing in Lyttelton, his stock was transferred to the nearby Gollans Bay (the bay in Lyttelton Harbour beneath Evans Pass [6] ), where he lost more stock to tutu poisoning and cold southerly winds. [7]

Whilst John Acland and Charles George Tripp arrived in Canterbury in 1855, only four years after organised settlement of Canterbury began, all the suitable land on the Canterbury Plains had already been taken up. [8] [9] They were the first to take up land in the Canterbury high country for sheep farming. [8]

George Henry Moore established himself in North Canterbury. His Glenmark Station was for a time New Zealand's largest sheep run, [10] and his daughter established the Christchurch tourist attraction Mona Vale with her inheritance. [11] His biography says of him: [10]

Moore stands out in New Zealand pastoral history as a supremely successful runholder in terms of personal wealth. His skill, judgement and sense of timing were of a very high order. Yet without strong financial backing from partners and bank, the full achievement of Glenmark would have been impossible. His 1873 purchase was a bold decision, based on a mortgage of exceptional size to the Union Bank of Australia, which advanced Moore £90,000. The link between banking and large runholding in Canterbury was never more clearly demonstrated.

20th century

New Zealand flocks rarely numbered less than 400 head. The total area of occupied land was under 45 million acres. Of this, 5 million acres supported from 1 to 8 sheep per acre for the year, while over 9 million acres averaged from one-half to 2 sheep per acre. [12] Grass was the principal crop. With a growing season of 10 months and well-distributed rainfall, it was profitable to keep grass for stock. Nearly half of the occupied land was in holdings of over 5,000 acres, mainly used for sheep. There were 90 holdings of over 50,000 acres each while 18,694 holdings were from 50 to 200 acres. The number of sheep increased from about 19 million in 1896 to 24,595,405 in 1914. The average flock size increased from 1,081 in 1896 to 1,124 in 1913. [12] About half the sheep were in flocks which numbered less than 2,500 while seven-eights of them were in flocks numbering over 500 head each. Wethers, rams, and ewes under breeding age comprised about one-half the sheep. [12]

The most successful breed raised in the early 19th century was the Spanish breed of Merino. It was bred on the South Island for many years. The Merino ewe furnished the foundation of a cross-bred stock. In the early days of the Canterbury Region meat trade, the English Leicester breed was the favourite ram for breeding with the Merino ewe. Later, the Lincoln breed was used to cross with the Merino, and black-faced rams were put to the cross-bred ewes. In the North Island, the Romney sheep was better suited with the moist climate and became the most popular sheep; it also increased in numbers in the South Island. The Lincoln and Border-Leicester were favoured in both islands, while the Southdown displaced other breeds for fat-lamb production throughout New Zealand. The Leicesters, mainly the English variety, were the most popular British breed in the South Island. [12]

Merino New Zealand.jpg
Merino sheep
Romney sheep, ewe with triplet lambs in New Zealand.jpg
Romney ewe with triplet lambs
Corriedale sheep.JPG
Corriedale sheep
Coopworth sheep.jpg
Coopworth sheep

The development of sheep farming in New Zealand in the first half of the 20th century brought increased competition to sheep farmers in southern Patagonia who were struggling with a drop in traffic as result of the opening of Panama Canal and mounting social unrest. [13]

The sheep population reached a peak of 70 million in 1982 but soon there was a sharp decline as the dairy industry overshadowed it. In 1987, the sheep population was only about 39 million; this fall is also attributed to withdrawal of government subsidy to this sector. [3] In spite of a decline in the population of sheep in New Zealand, the hilly areas of the country have seen a proliferation of sheep farming in the decades since the late 1960s. This growth is on account of introduction of better species of pasture vegetation, use of pesticides and weed control, regulated and systematic paddock management of farms, and introduction of better and disease resistant breeds of sheep. [2] Under a wide mosaic of varying climatic and soil conditions, and the large extent of farms have resulted in development of a wide range of industries. [14]

Current statistics

As of 2007, New Zealand had approximately 39 million sheep, nearly 10 sheep for every person in the country (the 2006 human population was 4,027,947 [15] ), [16] placed in sixth position among the most populous sheep farming countries of the world. In June 2015, sheep numbers were at 29.1 million. A year later, numbers had fallen by 1.5 million to 27.6 million. [1] In 2023, the ratio of sheep to humans had fallen below five to one for the first time since records began in the late 1850s. According to national data, the sheep population had dropped almost half a million down to 25.3 million in June 2022 with New Zealand's population now reaching 5.15 million. New Zealand is still ahead of Australia, which currently has three sheep to one Australian. [17]

Breeds

The New Zealand Sheepbreeders Association is responsible for managing sheep breeding in the country and also stud breeding in sheep industry. It ensures the purity of created breeds, with a good pedigree and a notable record of performance. [18] The developed breeds reported by the associations are: Border Leicester, Borderdale, Corriedale, Dorper, Dorset Down, East Friesian, English Leicester, Finnsheep, Hampshire, Lincoln, Oxford, Poll Dorset & Dorset Horn, Polwarth, Ryeland, Shropshire, South Suffolk, Suffolk, and Texel. [19] Breeding variety included the Corriedale, a cross breed of the Merino and English breeds; New Zealand Romney, which accounts for nearly 66% of all sheep in the country now, and its wool is suitable for making carpets; Perendale, which is adaptable to all types of weather and provides good meat and wool; and Coopworth, in a well tended farmland, this breed has good meat and wool value. [3] An annual event of the New Zealand Ewe Hogget Competition was initiated by George Fletcher to encourage and appreciate quality breeding of sheep. The event was held in May 2013 and awards were presented for Technology & Innovation, Best Woolled Flock, Large Flock and Flock Performance. [20]

Farming development

In the initial years the large farms which came into existence were for sheep brought from Australia to Wairarapa, farms in the Canterbury Plains, and Otago farm, and land leased from the ethnic Māori. [3] In later years, land was leased from the government in the eastern part of South Island, a dry area found suitable to establish large farms for Merinos for increased production of wool. In the northern Island, sheep farms in lands owned by Māori were under a much lower growth trajectory as the vegetative cover of bushes and wet weather conditions were not conducive for the Merinos to survive. [3]

Trade

The first trading of sheep meat was with Britain when frozen meat was exported in 1882. Subsequently, with large expansion of sheep farms, this export trade has sustained the economy of the country substantially. [3] New Zealand's major agricultural export commodity was wool during the late 19th century. [21] Even in the late 1960s it accounted for over a third of all export revenues. [21] but as its price has steadily dropped relative to other commodities [22] wool is no longer profitable for many farmers. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merino</span> Breed of sheep

The Merino is a breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monopoly; exports of the breed were not allowed, and those who tried risked capital punishment. During the eighteenth century, flocks were sent to the courts of a number of European countries, including France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Prussia, Saxony and Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herdwick</span> Breed of sheep

The Herdwick is a breed of domestic sheep native to the Lake District in North West England. The name "Herdwick" is derived from the Old Norse herdvyck, meaning sheep pasture. Though low in lambing capacity and perceived wool quality when compared to more common commercial breeds, Herdwicks are prized for their robust health, their ability to live solely on forage, and their tendency to be territorial and not to stray over the difficult upland terrain of the Lake District. It is considered that up to 99% of all Herdwick sheep are commercially farmed in the central and western Lake District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheep farming</span> Animal husbandry

Sheep farming or sheep husbandry is the raising and breeding of domestic sheep. It is a branch of animal husbandry. Sheep are raised principally for their meat, milk, and fiber (wool). They also yield sheepskin and parchment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coopworth</span> New Zealand breed of sheep

The Coopworth is a modern New Zealand breed of sheep. It was developed by researchers at Lincoln College in the Canterbury region of the South Island between about 1956 and 1968, the result of cross-breeding of New Zealand Romney ewes and Border Leicester rams. It has become the second-most numerous sheep breed in New Zealand, and has been exported to Australia, some European countries, and the United States.

The Perendale is a breed of sheep developed in New Zealand by Massey Agricultural College for use in steep hill situations. The breed is named after Sir Geoffrey Peren, and it achieves its aims by being the offspring of Romney ewes and Cheviot rams with sturdy legs. It is raised primarily for meat.

Polwarth is a breed of sheep that was developed in Victoria (Australia) during 1880. They were of one-quarter Lincoln and three-quarters Merino bloodlines. They are large, predominantly polled sheep with long, soft, quite fine wool and produce good meat carcasses. They were developed in an attempt to extend the grazing territory of sheep because the Merino was found lacking in hardiness in this respect. A dual-purpose breed with a major emphasis on wool production. Richard Dennis, of Tarndwarncoort in south west Victoria, bred the Polwarth, first known as Dennis Comebacks. Descendants of Richards Dennis continue to grow Polwarth wool at Tarndwarncoort, maintaining the original bloodlines in a flock referred to as the "Blue Dots".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manx Loaghtan</span> Breed of sheep

The Manx Loaghtan is a rare breed of sheep native to the Isle of Man. It is sometimes spelled as Loaghtyn or Loghtan. The sheep have dark brown wool and usually four or occasionally six horns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Border Leicester</span> Breed of sheep

The Border Leicester is a British breed of sheep. It is a polled, long-wool sheep and is considered a dual-purpose breed as it is reared both for meat and for wool. The sheep are large but docile. They have been exported to other sheep-producing regions, including Australia and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romney sheep</span> Sheep breed

The Romney, formerly called the Romney Marsh sheep but generally referred to by the local farmers as the Kent, is a breed of sheep originating in England. The Romney is a "long-wool" breed recognized in England by 1800. Exported to other continents, the Romney is an economically important sheep breed, especially to the sheep-meat and wool export trades of New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corriedale</span> New Zealand breed of sheep

The Corriedale is a New Zealand breed of sheep. It was bred from about 1882 in the South Island by James Little, who cross-bred Merino and Lincoln Longwool sheep. The breed was officially recognised in 1911. It has been exported to Australia and to many countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and North and South America. In 2021 it was reported from twenty-five countries, and the total population was estimated at just over 5 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peppin Merino</span> Breed of sheep

The Peppin Merino is a breed of Merino sheep raised for their wool, mostly in Australia. So important is the Peppin Merino that wool producers throughout Australia often classify their sheep simply as being either Peppin, or non-Peppin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorset Horn</span> British breed of sheep

The Dorset Horn is an endangered British breed of domestic sheep. It is documented from the seventeenth century, and is highly prolific, sometimes producing two lambing seasons per year. Among British sheep, it is the only breed capable of breeding throughout the winter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glossary of sheep husbandry</span>

The raising of domestic sheep has occurred in nearly every inhabited part of the globe, and the variations in cultures and languages which have kept sheep has produced a vast lexicon of unique terminology used to describe sheep husbandry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campbell Island sheep</span> Breed of sheep

Campbell Island sheep are a feral breed of domestic sheep formerly found on New Zealand's subantarctic Campbell Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galway sheep</span> Breed of sheep

The Galway sheep is a breed of domestic sheep originating in County Galway, in the west of Ireland, based on the earlier Roscommon sheep of neighbouring County Roscommon. They are a large, polled, white-faced sheep, having a characteristic bob of wool on the head and legs. The outer lips are of a dark colour and dark spots on the ears are common. The average litter size is 1.45 in pedigree flocks. While a major proportion of ewes within the bred weigh 80–85 kg and have a litter size of 1.3, there is wide variation to be found. This breed is primarily raised for meat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheep</span> Domesticated ruminant bred for meat, wool, and milk

Sheep or domestic sheep are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term sheep can apply to other species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated sheep. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Numbering a little over one billion, domestic sheep are also the most numerous species of sheep. An adult female is referred to as a ewe, an intact male as a ram, occasionally a tup, a castrated male as a wether, and a young sheep as a lamb.

The British Milksheep is a robust, dual-purpose sheep commonly known for its milking characteristics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domestication of the sheep</span>

The history of the domestic sheep goes back to between 11,000 and 9,000 BC, and the domestication of the wild mouflon in ancient Mesopotamia. Sheep are among the first animals to have been domesticated by humans. These sheep were primarily raised for meat, milk, and skins. Woolly sheep began to be developed around 6000 BC. They were then imported to Africa and Europe via trading.

The Sopravissana is a breed of domestic sheep from the province of Macerata, in the Marche in central Italy. The name derives from the area of origin, the comune of Visso in the Monti Sibillini; it was traditionally raised mostly in that area, but flocks ranged into Lazio, Tuscany and Umbria. The Sopravissana derives from the cross-breeding of local ewes with Spanish and Rambouillet Merino rams in the 18th century. It is larger than the Vissana breed from the same area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand Romney</span> New Zealand breed of sheep

The New Zealand Romney is a New Zealand breed of sheep. It derives from British Romney Marsh stock imported to New Zealand in the nineteenth century, and was established as a separate breed in 1904. It is the most numerous sheep breed in New Zealand.

References

  1. 1 2 Manch, Thomas (21 January 2017). "Yarn for the golden days". The Press . p. C18. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  2. 1 2 McDowell 2008, p. 147.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Stringleman, Hugh; Peden, Robert (14 March 2013). "Story: Sheep farming". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand . Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  4. ↑ Tapp, E. J. "Jones, John". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage . Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  5. ↑ Miller, Graham M. "John Deans". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
  6. ↑ Taylor 2001, p. 57.
  7. ↑ Roberts 1991, p. 9.
  8. 1 2 Acland 1946, pp. 140–141.
  9. ↑ McLintock 1966.
  10. 1 2 Gardner, W. J. "Moore, George Henry – Biography". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage . Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  11. ↑ "Unsung Heroines – Annie Quayle Townend". Christchurch City Libraries. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Marshall, F. R. (1915). Features of the sheep industries of United States, New Zealand, and Australia compared (Public domain ed.). U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. p.  2.
  13. ↑ "La economía ovejera en Magallanes (1876–1930)", Memoria Chilena (in Spanish), Biblioteca Nacional de Chile , retrieved 30 June 2013
  14. ↑ McDowell 2008, p. 45.
  15. ↑ "QuickStats About New Zealand's Population and Dwellings: Population counts". 2006 Census. Statistics New Zealand. Archived from the original on 1 November 2009. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  16. ↑ "Story: Sheep farming". TEARA:The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  17. ↑ McClure, Tess (23 May 2023). "New Zealand's ratio of sheep to humans at lowest point in 170 years". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  18. ↑ "New Zealand Sheep Breeders Association". The New Zealand Sheepbreeders Association. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  19. ↑ "Sheep Breeds". New Zealand Sheepbreeders' Association. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  20. ↑ "Robert and Jean Forrester:Winners of the NZ Ewe Hogget Competition 2013" (PDF). New Zealand Sheep.co. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  21. 1 2 "Historical Evolution and Trade Patterns". Encyclopediia of New Zealand. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  22. ↑ Easton, Brian (March 2009). "Economy – Agricultural production" . Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  23. ↑ Stringleman, Hugh; Peden, Robert (March 2009). "Sheep farming – Changes from the 20th century". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand . Retrieved 27 June 2013.

Bibliography

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