Irish ewe flock dips under three million for the first time since 1986

THE Irish sheep flock fell by 10% or 430,000 head in the 12 months to last December.

This followed a drop of 6% in the previous 12 months.

The national flock has fallen by 730,000 head since 2004, to just over 3.8 million head, according to the latest Central Statistics Office figures .