Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 165: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the extent to which the numbers in the national sheep flock have varied over the past five years to date in 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28114/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The results of the National Sheep and Goats Censuses for the years 2006 to 2010, which are available on the Department's website, are summarised in the table below (data for 2011 is not yet available). They show that there was a decline in the national sheep flock between 2006 and 2009 but that the decline appears to have bottomed out with a modest increase in 2010. This modest increase also applies to the breeding flock for 2010. This reversal of the trend in sheep numbers is both welcome and necessary in order to ensure the survival of the sheep industry as an important part of the Irish agricultural sector and it shows that the sector has responded positively to the price improvements in the market which occurred over the past two years and to other measures which have been introduced to help the sector. I am confident that the recovery in the sector will continue, given a continuation of favourable returns from the market.

N.A. = Not Available