The commercial sector has increased its raw milk production since the beginning of 2025, driven by the development of dairy farms in the western regions, which are boosting their milk yields, reports Georghii Kukhaleishvili, an analyst at the Association of Milk Producers. According to preliminary data from the State Statistics Service, in July 2025, farms of all categories produced 663 thousand tonnes of raw milk, which is 6 thousand tonnes more (+1%) than in June 2025 but 11 thousand tonnes less (+2%) than in July 2024.
From January to July 2025, milk yields in Ukraine amounted to 4.05 million tonnes, which is 168 thousand tonnes (-4%) less than the same period last year. In July 2025, the share of industrial enterprises in raw milk production was 41%, while household farms accounted for 59%.
Industrial enterprises produced 269 thousand tonnes of raw milk in July 2025, which is 11.3 thousand tonnes more (+4.4%) compared to June 2025 and 34 thousand tonnes more (+15%) compared to July 2024. From January to July 2025, dairy farms produced 1.83 million tonnes of raw milk, an increase of 98 thousand tonnes (+6%) compared to the same period last year.
In household farms, milk yields in June 2025 amounted to 394 thousand tonnes of milk, which is 5 thousand tonnes less (-1%) than in June 2025 and 23 thousand tonnes less (-5%) than in July 2024. From January to July 2025, the household sector produced 2.22 thousand tonnes of raw milk, which is 265 thousand tonnes less (-11%) than the same period last year.
It is worth noting that agricultural enterprises in the Lviv region (+22%), Khmelnytskyi region (+19%), Zakarpattia region (+17%), Mykolaiv region (+12%), and Ternopil region (+10%) increased their milk production the most compared to the same period last year.
Georghii Kukhaleishvili points out that the growth rate of raw milk production in Ukraine's industrial sector since the beginning of 2025 has been one of the best in Europe and the world. Specifically, the growth rate of milk yield during this period in the US was +1%, in New Zealand +1.4%, while the EU reduced its raw milk production by 0.6%. Dairy farms increased their milk production despite Russian missile and bomb attacks, relocations, and rising production costs.
However, despite the increase in production in the industrial sector, household farms continue to see a year-on-year drop in milk yields. It is likely that if household farms do not consolidate by 2030, their milk will cease to be supplied for processing and will be used for their own consumption.
From January to July 2025, dairy farms increased their raw milk production in 16 regions. The leaders in raw milk production remain the regions of Central and Northern Ukraine. However, the largest volumes of production growth are observed in the Lviv, Zakarpattia, and Khmelnytskyi regions, which is related to the construction of new dairy farms in Western Ukraine. They are compensating for the reduction in milk yields in the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine due to ongoing military actions.
The volume of raw milk production on dairy farms in Ukraine is being constrained by the unwillingness of milk processing plants to purchase it at a fair price amid rising production costs for farmers. Domestic milk processing plants with outdated technology are unable to compete on quality with enterprises in developed countries. Therefore, they are not willing to buy raw milk at adequate prices, as they sell their products at lower prices to withstand competition in export markets.
From January to July 2025, about 55% of the raw milk was produced by agricultural enterprises in the following regions:
- Poltava region – 279.4 thousand tonnes
- Cherkasy region – 225.9 thousand tonnes
- Khmelnytskyi region – 179.5 thousand tonnes
- Vinnytsia region – 164.5 thousand tonnes
- Chernihiv region – 163.8 thousand tonnes
Regarding beef production, according to preliminary estimates from the State Statistics Service, in July 2025, the volume of cattle slaughter was 14.8 thousand tonnes, which is 6 thousand tonnes more (+63%) than in June 2025 and 1 thousand tonnes more (+7%) than in July 2024. From January to July 2025, the volume of cattle slaughter in Ukraine was 98.5 thousand tonnes, which is 4 thousand tonnes less (-4%) than the same period last year. In July 2025, 50% of the beef was produced at commercial enterprises, and 50% was from household farms.
In July, the volume of cattle slaughter at agricultural enterprises was 7.4 thousand tonnes, which is 1 thousand tonnes more (+16%) than in June 2025 and 300 tonnes more (+4%) than in July 2024. From January to July 2025, the volume of cattle slaughter at agricultural enterprises was 46 thousand tonnes, which is 1.3 thousand tonnes more (+3%) than the same period last year.
In household farms, the volume of cattle slaughter in July was 7.4 thousand tonnes, which is 5 thousand tonnes more (+174%) than in June of the current year and 700 tonnes more (+10%) than in July 2024. From January to July 2025, the volume of cattle slaughter in household farms was 52.5 thousand tonnes, which is 5.7 thousand tonnes less (-10%) than the same period last year.
The largest number of animals (59%) sold for slaughter at agricultural enterprises were in the following regions:
- Kyiv region – 35.8 thousand head
- Poltava region – 24.6 thousand head
- Cherkasy region – 18 thousand head
- Chernihiv region – 16.4 thousand head
- Vinnytsia region – 14.9 thousand head
Press service of the Association of Milk Producers
Follow us on LinkedIn
Related News