Sheep: Numbers
Environment Food and Rural Affairs
Tim Farron (Westmorland and Lonsdale, Liberal Democrat)
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
James Paice (Minister of State (Agriculture and Food), Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; South East Cambridgeshire, Conservative)
The number of sheep on commercial holdings(1) in Cumbria, the Lake District National Park and Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency(2) for 2001 to 2010 are shown in the following table.
(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.
| 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 |