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Drop in number of poultry on NI's farms

Louise Cullen
BBC News NI agriculture and environment correspondent
Getty Images Free-range chickens on a farm in Cornwall, UK.Getty Images
Poultry numbers have decreased by 8% to 23.7 million birds recorded

There has been a fall in the number of poultry farmed in Northern Ireland after a resurgence in 2023.

The latest farm census, taken in June 2024, showed total poultry numbers had decreased by 8% to 23.7 million birds recorded.

And after a marked increase in poultry other than chickens – turkeys, ducks and geese – in 2023, their numbers have fallen by just over a fifth (21%).

Dairy cattle have increased slightly while beef cattle have shown a small decrease.

Sheep have fallen by 4%, while pig numbers rose by just 1%.

The total area of crops has declined slightly, with the decrease most marked in Winter Barley (-18%).

All cereals except spring barley have decreased.

The agriculture census also shows that the amount of land farmed in Northern Ireland remains largely unchanged since 1984, at just over a million hectares.

The number of farms increased only slightly, with the majority (79%) still being classed as very small farms.

And the average farm size varied across counties from 26 hectares/64 acres in County Armagh to 38 hectares/94 acres in County Antrim.

The overall average was 33 hectares/81.5 acres.