Sheep: Numbers

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the level of sheep populations in (a) Cumbria, (b) the Lake District National Park and (c) Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency in each of the last 10 years

[111049]

Answer

The number of sheep on commercial holdings¹ in Cumbria, the Lake District National Park and Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency² for 2001 to 2010 are shown in the following table.

Commercial holdings are those with significant levels of farming activity. These significant levels are classified as any holding 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.² Figures for 2001 to 2009 are based on old parliamentary constituencies boundaries used before the 2010 reclassification. Results for 2010 are based on the new parliamentary constituency boundaries.

	Cumbria	Lake District National Park	Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency
2001	1,497,662	570,049	559,923
2002	1,799,755	648,429	535,767
2003	1,949,091	684,780	561,329
2004	2,025,071	731,346	570,150
2005	2,047,928	718,862	576,490
2006	2,038,602	728,196	562,904
2007	2,005,938	692,121	530,479
2008	2,028,133	697,284	536,667
2009	1,909,902	658,896	499,695
2010	1,924,912	661,527	453,755

¹ Commercial holdings are those with significant levels of farming activity. These significant levels are classified as any holding 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.² Figures for 2001 to 2009 are based on old parliamentary constituencies boundaries used before the 2010 reclassification. Results for 2010 are based on the new parliamentary constituency boundaries.