There is something in the Irish breeding figures for the first six months of 2021 to confirm the beliefs of both the optimists and pessimists writes Floyd Amphlett.
Breeding students will recall that the number of litters bred in 2020 was the lowest in history – 1,962 – a decline of 15% on the previous year – which was itself the lowest figure ever. When we reported this back in January, we also noted that matings were down by 19%. The implications for 2022 – when the 2020 whelps will dominate – were severe.
It was therefore inevitable that the number of litters registered for the first half of 2021 was certain to be down. That proved to be the case, though the good news is that the deficit was a mere six litters: 974 v 980. Better still, the number of matings was up for the same period, by 21%: 1,343 v 1,105.
So to sum up – the overall trend is down, the ‘freefall’ effect has leveled out, but coming along the pipeline is a 15% shortfall which is already being felt on racecards.
Irish litters 2003-2020
