New Zealand's Sheep-To-Person Ratio Falls For First Time In 170 Years

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - MAY 25: Farm Manager John Jackson works the dogs to muster the sheep on Withers Farm in Kaipara Flats on May 25, 2023 in Auckland, New Zealand. Josh Jackson runs 1000 purebred Romney ewes, 250 hoggets, and finished 1500 lambs on the 350 hectare farm. He has decreased the flock by nine percent to have an easier winter, help the land recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and repeated flooding and to reduce the labour costs involved in farming sheep. Statistics NZ reported the ratio of sheep to people had fallen below five to one for the first time in 170 years, local media said. The Agricultural Production Census found the national flock fell by 2% to 25.3 million sheep in June 2022. The human population was 5.1 million at the time, which equates to 4.96 sheep for each human being in the country. (Footage by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)