The decline in the cow herd in household farms continued in October, and the growth in the industrial sector slowed down, according to Georghii Kukhaleishvili, analyst at the Association of Milk Producers (AMP).
According to preliminary data from the State Statistics Service (Derzhstat), as of November 1, 2025, the household and industrial sectors of Ukraine held 2 million 20.8 thousand head of cattle, including 1 million 105.3 thousand cows. Compared to October 1, 2025, the total cattle population in Ukraine decreased by 62.9 thousand head (-3%), and the number of cows decreased by 16.4 thousand head (-1%). Compared to November 1, 2024, the cattle population decreased by 224 thousand head (-10%), including cows by 128 thousand head (-10%). Approximately 47% of the animals are held by industrial enterprises, and 53% by household farms.
In the industrial sector, 947.1 thousand head of cattle are kept, which is 2 thousand head more (+0.2%) compared to October 1, 2025. The cow herd stands at 384.1 thousand cows and grew by 500 head (+0.1%) over the last month. Over the last year, the cattle population at enterprises increased by 28.6 thousand head (+3%), and the number of cows increased by 8.8 thousand head (+2%).
The household sector holds 1 million 73.7 thousand head of cattle, which is 64 thousand head less (-6%) compared to October 1, 2025. The number of cows in household farms as of November 1, 2025, was 721.2 thousand head, which is 17 thousand head less (-2%) than a month ago. Over the last year, the number of cattle in household farms decreased by 253 thousand head (-19%), and the number of cows decreased by 137 thousand head (-16%).
According to preliminary data from Derzhstat, an increase in the number of cows was recorded at agricultural enterprises in the Kharkiv region (+17%), Lviv region (+13%), Ivano-Frankivsk region (+10%), Khmelnytskyi region (+9%), Ternopil region (+9%), Rivne region (+8%), Chernihiv region (+5%), Volyn region (+3%), Mykolaiv region (+3%), Kyiv region (+2%), Vinnytsia region (+2%), Cherkasy region (+2%), and Poltava region (+1%), compared to November 1 last year.
Georghii Kukhaleishvili notes that the cow herd is shrinking primarily in the household sector. The reduction in the cattle population is a long-standing problem in Ukraine due to the lack of an effective state support program for dairy farming. The war has only worsened the situation. There is a sharp reduction in the herd in the East and South. Agricultural enterprises are relocating cows from the Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions to safer regions in Western Ukraine amid the intensification of Russian missile and bomb attacks on border and frontline settlements. The cow herd has decreased in the Zakarpattia and Chernivtsi regions, which is likely associated with the culling of unproductive animals.
Most farms in Ukraine were built in the 70s and 80s, and they no longer meet the requirements for keeping animals. The lack of premises suitable for housing cows creates preconditions for further herd reduction. Many farmers are not investing in increasing the cow herd during the war and are experiencing a shortage of working capital. According to the study "Ukraine: The Impact of War on the Profitability of Agricultural Production," conducted by UCAB and the Ministry of Agrarian Policy with the support of GFDRR, farmers' production costs are rising faster than prices for finished products due to the increased cost of feed, electricity costs, the devaluation of the hryvnia, and the reduction in the purchasing power of the population.
However, MTFs in relatively safer regions of Ukraine are modernizing existing facilities and building new ones. They are also increasing the number of high-yielding cows. According to AMP calculations, as of now, at least 40 farms are implementing these measures. Nevertheless, the rate of cow herd growth in the industrial sector also slowed down in October, which may be related to the ongoing "bearish trend" in the dairy market and the decline in prices for commodity goods and raw milk. Over the last month, the cow herd did not change and did not grow on MTFs in 14 regions, not only in frontline areas but also in relatively safe regions of Central and Western Ukraine, such as the Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Zhytomyr, Cherkasy, and Kirovohrad regions.
In the regional breakdown, approximately 50% of the animals from the total cattle population are kept in farms of all categories in the following regions:
- Khmelnytskyi region – 193.1 thousand head
- Poltava region – 177 thousand head
- Vinnytsia region – 144.4 thousand head
- Cherkasy region – 127.4 thousand head
- Chernihiv region – 125.4 thousand head
- Odesa region – 122.7 thousand head
- Ternopil region – 119.8 thousand head
Press service of the Association of Milk Producers
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