§ 52. Mr. L. M. Leverasked the Minister of Agriculture if he will furnish a comparative statement of the livestock numbers in the United Kingdom as at 4th March, 1947, and 4th March, 1951, under the following categories: cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry.
Mr. T. WilliamsThe following are the figures:
NUMBERS OF CATTLE, SHEEP, PIGS AND POULTRY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AT MARCH IN THE YEARS 1947 AND 1951 (a) — March, 1947 March, 1951 ('000) ('000) Cattle (including calves) 9,376 10,250 Sheep (including lambs) (b) 12,594 13,478 Pigs 1,672 3,584 Poultry (fowls, ducks, geese and turkeys) (c) 34,043 56,909 (a) Numbers returned as on agricultural holdings exceeding one acre in Great Britain and of ¼ acre or more in Northern Ireland.
(b) In Great Britain figures of sheep are collected, in March, only under the headings "ewes in lamb or with lambs at foot" and "other sheep over six months old (excluding rams for service)". In Northern Ireland sheep are returned in March under various headings.
There were large sheep losses in the very severe winter of 1946–47, and the number of sheep suffered a heavy setback of perhaps 20 per cent.
(c) Great Britain only: poultry figures are not collected in Northern Ireland in March.