§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cattle(a) dairy and (b) non-dairy there are in the United Kingdom; and what is their estimated market value. [23213]
§ Mr. Baldry[holding answer 1 April 1996]: According to the census carried out in June 1995, there were 4.7 million cattle in the dairy herd and nearly 7 million cattle in the beef herd. The farm gate value of total UK beef production for 1995 was £2.8 billion. It is difficult to estimate the market value of a cow in milk production, but based on an average figure of £1,200 per head, the UK dairy herd is worth around £6 billion.