Off the Sheep’s Back?

The BBC looks at the changing iconic status and importance of the sheep to the New Zealand economy. Sheep numbers have fallen from 70 million to 40 million in the last two decades and farmers are under increasing pressures to diversify as drought and rising returns from forestry and the dairy industry have meant that sheep farming pastures are not so green. Still, it concludes, culturally and economically NZ will continue to count on sheep – zzzzz.