Canadian Livestock Numbers Trend Lower

OTTAWA - Aug 16/07 - SNS -- Canadian livestock inventories maintained their recent down trend, with the number of animals on hand as of July 1 declining for the second consecutive year as the breeding herd fell in most provinces, according to Statistics Canada's July Livestock Survey of 16,000 producers.

As of July 1, 2007, cattlemen reported 15.9 million head on their farms, down 0.7% from the same date in 2006. This level was 5.9% below the record 16.9 million head set in 2005, when producers held back thousands of animals from the marketplace following the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)-related closure of the border to the American market. The American border was reopened to live cattle under 30 months of age on July 18, 2005.

In Alberta, Canada's largest cattle-producing province, the herd increased 2.7% between July 1, 2006, and July 1, 2007. This was due to greater demand for steers and heifers among feedlot operators.

The survey also showed year-over-year declines in both hog and sheep inventories. As of July 1, 2007, farmers reported 1.1 million sheep on their farms, down 4.8%, and 14.7 million hogs, down 2.5%.

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