NI poultry figures on the rise, census shows

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Birds such as geese, ducks and turkeys are on the rise according to the NI agricultural census
  • Author, Louise Cullen
  • Role, 大象传媒 NI agriculture and environment correspondent

The number of poultry in Northern Ireland has resurged, after a fall in 2022, according to a survey.

And the increase was particularly marked in poultry other than chickens - like turkeys, ducks and geese.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs said an "alteration in animal health factors which positively affected production" was behind the change.

On 1 June 2023, there were 25.5m poultry on farms in Northern Ireland.

In comparison, there were 20.6m poultry in 2022.

There was an increase of 11% in laying birds, while broiler numbers - chickens for human consumption - rose by 31%.

But "other poultry" rose from more than 97,000 in 2022 to almost 384,000 in 2023 - an increase of almost 294%.

The number of beef cows fell by around 4% and breeding ewes by 2%.

Pig and dairy cow numbers remained steady.

The agriculture census also reveals that the amount of land farmed in Northern Ireland is approximately one million hectares, largely unchanged since 1984.

The number of farms increased only slightly, with the majority (79%) still being classed as very small farms.