Results from the Scottish Agricultural Census: June 2026
Final results from the 2026 June Agricultural Census on land use, crop areas, livestock and the people working on agricultural holdings. Modular results on cattle housing, technology, feed supplements, and peatlands also included.
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Sheep numbers remain below five-year average
In 2026, the total number of sheep was 6.50 million, a 2.2% decrease compared with the five-year average, and a 0.5% decrease on 2025. The number of ewes used for breeding in the previous season was 2.48 million, a 1.3% decrease compared with the five-year average after a 0.3% annual increase.
The number of lambs decreased by 3.5% compared with the five-year average to 3.13 million, and decreased by 1.6% compared with 2025.
The number of other sheep aged one year and over (excluding rams) was 809,500, a 0.3% increase on the five-year average and a 1.1% increase on 2025.
Figure 9: Number of lambs, ewes, and other sheep (excluding rams used for service), 2016 to 2026. Note data for 2022 were estimated based on administrative data and results in adjacent years.
Contact
agric.stats@gov.scot