§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the(a) average age and (b) range of (i) beef and (ii) dairy cattle present in the bovine population in each year between 1984 and 1996. [681]
§ Mrs. BrowningStatistics on the numbers of cattle are contained in "The Digest of Agricultural Census Statistics". The latest edition, 1995, provides data up to 1995 and is available from the Library of the House. Totals for dairy and beef herds are shown. It is not possible to give an average age for cattle although age categories are shown in the tables. Provisional results for the 1996 agricultural census are available in separate statistical notices for England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.