2. Sheep and Goat Production in Portugal 2.1. Farmers and Sheep Herd In Portugal about 52,000 sheep farms and a total number of 2.2 million animals have been identified. The sheep farms with dairy aptitude are approximately 8500 and have a population of 424,000 animals (Table 1). Sheep production in Portugal is mainly oriented to meat production. The dairy herd (circa 425,000 animals) represents about 20% of the national sheep number and is spread over 8500 farms (about 17% of the farms). Dairy sheep farms are more relevant in the regions of Beira Interior (BI) and Beira Litoral (BL) (Figure 1). Sheep production is an activity with a significant concentration at regional level. In fact, of the 2.2 million sheep existing, nearly 50% are in the Alentejo region (Figure 2), which concentrates 16% of farms (Figure 3). Regarding the herd, sheep farms have a more balanced regional distribution, although the ones located in Entre Douro e Minho (EDM 24%); Beira Litoral (BL 22%); Alentejo (ALE 16%) and Ribatejo and Oeste (RO 14%) do stand out (Figure 3). Sheep milk production is characteristic of the Beira Interior region (BI), which concentrates 53% of the national sheep flock with milk aptitude (Figure 4) and 32% of farms (Figure 5). The second largest dairy herd is located in Alentejo (13%) and, despite representing only 5% of the regional sheep flock, it is the sheep meat production area par excellence. As mentioned above, the production of sheep milk is also of some importance in Beira Litoral, concentrating 35% of farms and 12% of the herd, and Ribatejo Oeste, with 14% of the farms and 9% of the herd. In the period between 1999 and 2009, there was a widespread decrease of sheep production in Portugal, reflecting itself on an average reduction of 27% of the number of farms and 24% of the herd. This negative change, which affected all regions, was more pronounced in the Algarve (ALG), in Ribatejo Oeste (RO) and in Madeira (Figure 6). http://file.scirp.org/Html/5-7200736_46913.htm
There are more than 11 million sheep in Wales, and in 2011 sheep farming accounted for 20% of agriculture in Wales. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheep_farming_in_Wales Welsh A race that is misunderstood by their neighbours the English due to their craftiness and intelligence. The English call the Welsh sheep-shaggers due to an old trick used by the Welsh against their gullible English neighbours in medievel times, when the English had a nasty habit of ****ing sheep. When Wales adopted English law they noticed the penalty for shagging a sheep was less than stealing one (due to the English's habit) so whenever they were caught stealing a sheep they would instead say they were planning to **** it instead to avoid the fine. Therefore there is a very long list of crimes involving Welshmen shagging sheep, although it is only the English who would actually ever **** a sheep, it is just another example of the Welsh tricking the English once again. Englishman "You are going to have your hand chopped off with an axe because you stole a sheep." Welshman "I was infact taking the sheep to ****." Englishman "Oh, thats good then our law endorses sheep shaggers. You will only have to lose a finger. by Defty June 18, 2006 http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Welsh
****ing laughing, then Gonz. Apparently the Portuguese ones like you to whisper dirty in their earholes
