The increase in ewe numbers by
sector
1971 to 2000
| Since
the introduction of the CAP Sheepmeat Regime in 1980, there has been a huge
increase in sheep numbers in the UK, in particular in lowland and upland
areas. During the same period, however, the number of cattle and the area of
temporary grassland have both declined by 25%. In the lowlands, EU support
for arable farming since 1991 has meant that sheep have been pushed almost
exclusively onto areas of permanent grassland, where a mono-culture of sheep
production prevails. The net effect is that the opportunities for the
alternation of sheep, cattle and conservation, and/or the use of new leys, as
a means of reducing worm burdens have been significantly reduced. As a
result, sheep farmers have become increasingly reliant on the routine use of
anthelmintics in worm control programmes. |
|
| See Section 1.2
of the text, Sustainable Worm Control in Sheep. |
|