Dairy farms (DFs) have increased their cow population both compared to the previous month and compared to the same period last year. The general trend of cattle population decline in Ukraine mainly occurs due to household farms, according to Georghii Kukhaleishvili, an analyst at the Association of Milk Producers.
According to preliminary data from the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, as of May 1, 2025, the private and industrial sectors of Ukraine hold 2 million 179.8 thousand head of cattle, including 1 million 153.3 thousand cows. Compared to April 1, 2025, the cattle population in Ukraine increased by 41 thousand head (+2%), and the number of cows increased by 3.4 thousand head (+0.3%). Compared to May 1, 2024, the cattle population decreased by 182 thousand head (-8%), including cows – by 104 thousand head (-8%). About 42% of animals are kept in industrial enterprises, and 58% – in household farms.
In the industrial sector, 921.5 thousand head of cattle are kept, which is 5 thousand head (+0.5%) more than on April 1, 2025. The cow population is 382.4 thousand cows and increased by 5.2 thousand head (+1.4%) over the last month. Over the past year, the cattle population in enterprises has grown by 3.8 thousand head (+0.4%), and the number of cows has increased by 3.2 thousand head (+0.8%).
In the household sector, there are 1 million 258.3 thousand head of cattle, which is 37 thousand head (+3%) more compared to April 1, 2025. The number of cows in household farms as of May 1, 2025, was 770.9 thousand head, which is 2 thousand head less (-0.2%) than a month ago. Over the past year, the number of cattle in household farms decreased by 186 thousand head (-13%), and the number of cows decreased by 107 thousand head (-12%).
Georghii Kukhaleishvili notes that the reduction in the cattle population has been ongoing in Ukraine for many years due to the lack of an effective state support program for dairy cattle breeding. The reduction in the population accelerated after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. A typical situation for frontline regions is the death of a certain number of cattle due to shelling by Russian occupiers. Enough farmers left cows in the occupied territories. These animals are not subject to accounting or were confiscated by the Russian occupiers and sold for meat. Farmers send injured cows for culling, which also contributes to a decrease in the population.
As of now, there are prerequisites for the relocation of farms from Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy Oblasts to other regions of Ukraine in the context of the intensification of Russian missile and bomb strikes on border and frontline settlements. Farmers will be able to transport only part of the livestock, since most farms in Ukraine were built in the 70s-80s and they no longer meet the requirements for keeping animals. The lack of premises suitable for keeping cows creates prerequisites for a further reduction in the population.
In addition to the frontline regions, the cattle population has decreased in agricultural enterprises of Zakarpattia and Chernivtsi Oblasts, which is likely due to the fact that they are working on their efficiency and selling unproductive cows. The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Hungary and Slovakia creates a potential risk of increased culling of livestock in case the disease spreads to the western Ukrainian regions.
Many farmers do not invest in increasing the cow population during the war and are experiencing a shortage of working capital. According to the study "Ukraine: the impact of the war on the profitability of agricultural production," conducted by UCAB, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, with the support of GFDRR, farmers' production costs are growing faster than prices for finished products due to the rising cost of feed, electricity costs, the devaluation of the hryvnia, and the decline in the purchasing power of the population.
There is cautious optimism regarding an increase in the number of dairy farms in relatively safe regions of Ukraine, which, despite the war, are modernizing existing and building new facilities and increasing the population of highly productive cows. According to AMP estimates, at least 40 farms are currently implementing these measures.
According to preliminary data from the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, an increase in the number of cows in agricultural enterprises was recorded in Lviv Oblast (+9%), Ternopil Oblast (+7%), Volyn Oblast (+7%), Khmelnytskyi Oblast (+5%), Mykolaiv Oblast (+4%), Kyiv Oblast (+4%), Vinnytsia Oblast (+4%), Cherkasy Oblast (+2%), Poltava Oblast (+1%), Chernihiv Oblast (+1) compared to May 1 of last year.
In the regional breakdown, about 55% of the total cattle population is kept in farms of all categories in the following oblasts:
- Khmelnytskyi Oblast – 195 thousand head;
- Poltava Oblast – 176.5 thousand head;
- Vinnytsia Oblast – 172.7 thousand head;
- Odesa Oblast – 136.9 thousand head;
- Ternopil Oblast – 133.9 thousand head;
- Cherkasy Oblast – 125.5 thousand head;
- Zakarpattia Oblast – 125.3 thousand head;
- Chernihiv Oblast – 123.8 thousand head.
Press Service of the Association of Milk Producers
Follow us on Facebook
Related News