The Czech Sheep and Goat Breeders’ Association reports that the number of sheep in the Czech Republic currently stands at 148,000, an increase of 80% compared with the number in 2000, according to the CTK news agency’s Business News. The Association attributed the large increase to subsidies aimed at encouraging sheep breeding. However, the current number of sheep is still well below the more than 400,000 sheep recorded in the early 1990s.