Coloured Sheep Flock Numbers 2024

Every year, members of the Black and Coloured Sheep Breeders Association send in a flock return showing how many sheep they have, what breeds, and which sires were used. Last year we began collating this information to get a picture of the makeup of our national flock, and to see what changes have taken place over time.

The total number of sheep reported in 2024 was 3842, up by over 600 from 2023. Of those, 729 (approximately 19%) were registered stud sheep – this is mainly due to one of our larger breeders entering the registry with a new flock. The chart shows the changing numbers since 2019. Flock numbers dipped in the early 2020s and have bounced back in the last two years.

Registered breeds reported include Romney, Corriedale, Merino, Polwarth, and English Leicester. Due to a new stud being formed, Merino is now the most populous registered breed at 60% of the national flock, taking over from Romney.

In total 15 breeds were reported by members, an increase of one from last year as Ryelands have entered the mix. Merino is the most common coloured breed returned, however this is largely due to the owner of the largest flock being a Merino breeder. Many of the other breed numbers are made up from several smaller breeders.

The next most popular breed is Romney, with Perendale and Corriedale 3rd and 4th. Last year, Corriedale/Romney cross were more popular than both Romney and Corriedale – earning their own breed category – but this year has seen a swing back towards the purebreds. Gotland is now the 5th most popular breed.

Halfbred refers to a merino/romney cross. Merino type natives include breeds such as Pitt Island Merino, Arapawa, and Herbert. X breeds are any other cross – the majority are romney crosses but can be a mix of any breed.

Looking at the numbers reported in the Flock Book over time, some trends are noticable. Among the more popular breeds (those with more than 100 sheep reported each year) we can see a steady decline in Romney, Corriedale, and Xbred numbers from 2019-2023, with a corresponding rise in Corriedale/Romney cross sheep. However, in the last year this trend has reversed with both Romney and Corriedale numbers now exceeding those of Romney/Corriedale cross. Merino numbers have also increased significantly in 2024. Both Merino and Perendale numbers are largely a result of one or two breeders with high flock numbers, whereas Romneys are the most widespread breed with over 20 breeders listed in the flock book.

Numbers of Gotland, Perendale, and Xbreed sheep have remained fairly stable while Polwarth have declined slightly.

Among the other breeds Wiltshire and Finn were present in 2023 but none were returned in 2024. Cormo are in the flock book again after skipping a year in 2023, and a newcomer in the rarer breeds is the Ryeland. English Leicester numbers have increased, and Texel and Halfbred numbers have declined slightly.

It should be noted that not all breeders send in a return every year and because the numbers are small, a single breeder can make a big difference to overall trends. Additionally, there are many coloured sheep in New Zealand that do not belong to Association members. We know that for example Arapawa sheep are very popular among lifestyle farmers for their hardiness and interesting colours, but this popularity is not reflected in BCSBA flock numbers.

Therefore it is unlikely that these numbers are a completely accurate reflection of the breed makeup of all coloured sheep in New Zealand, and it is likely that if non-member sheep were included the national coloured flock would number quite a lot more than is shown here.