New Zealand’s sheep population has plummeted from over 70 million in the 1980s to just 25 million today—and the decline is accelerating. 

In this episode, we speak with Toby Williams, national meat and wool chair and a sheep farmer himself, about the alarming state of the red meat sector. 

What’s driving the loss—land use changes, climate policy, farmer confidence, or economics? What’s at stake for rural communities and the wider industry? And crucially, what can be done to reverse the trend? It’s a wake-up call for the future of sheep farming in New Zealand. 

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