Originally from: Richard Mawdsley
                        
Whilst digging around for information on early meat imports a friend came up with the following:

1874
1884
1894

Cattle
 6,125,491
 6,269,914
 6,347,113

Sheep
30,313,941
26,068,354
25,861,500

Pigs
 2,422,832
 2,584,391
 2,390,096

 (Figures from "Chambers Cyclopedia" 1901)

.and now, with nearly half the numbers, a much larger population to feed, the largest balance of trade deficit since the seventeenth century and buggerall exporting industries, they tell us we have too many sheep.!

The reason for the 20 year decline in numbers? Govt policy deciding that cheap food, from wherever it could be bought regardless of the effect on British Agriculture, must be a jolly good thing.

 Richard.