Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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548. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of sheep in the national herd in each of the years 2000 to 2012. [18883/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The following table shows the number of sheep in the national flock in December for each of the years specified, according to the December livestock surveys completed by the CSO. The figures show that there was a steady decline in the size of the national flock between 2000 and 2010. However, the trend has been reversed in recent years, with increases for 2011 and 2012 reflecting the impact of positive measures which have been introduced in order to arrest the decline in the sector.

Source: CSO December Livestock Survey