As a result of relocation, the population of cattle (Bovine) and cows on agricultural enterprises in Western Ukraine has increased, according to Georghii Kukhaleishvili, analyst at the Association of Milk Producers (AMP).
According to preliminary data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine (SSSU), as of October 1, 2025, the household and industrial sectors of Ukraine held 2 million 83.7 thousand head of cattle (Bovine), including 1 million 121.7 thousand cows. Compared to September 1, 2025, the cattle population in Ukraine decreased by 40.6 thousand head (-1.9%), and the number of cows decreased by 9.3 thousand head (-0.8%). Compared to October 1, 2024, the cattle population decreased by 211 thousand head (-9%), including cows by 121 thousand head (-10%). Approximately 45% of animals are kept on industrial enterprises, and 55% are in household farms.
The industrial sector holds 945.5 thousand head of cattle, which is 13 thousand head more (+1.4%) compared to September 1, 2025. The cow population stands at 383.6 thousand cows and grew by 2.1 thousand head (+0.55%) over the last month. Over the last year, the cattle population on enterprises increased by 22.6 thousand head (+2.45%), and the number of cows increased by 7.7 thousand head (+2%).
The household sector holds 1 million 138.2 thousand head of cattle, which is 53 thousand head fewer (-4.5%) compared to September 1, 2025. The number of cows in household farms as of October 1, 2025, was 738.1 thousand head, which is 11 thousand head fewer (-1.5%) than a month ago. Over the last year, the number of cattle in household farms decreased by 233 thousand head (-17%), and the number of cows decreased by 129 thousand head (-15%).
According to preliminary SSSU data, an increase in the cow population was recorded at agricultural enterprises in the Kharkiv region (+16%), Rivne region (+13%), Mykolaiv region (+12%), Ivano-Frankivsk region (+11%), Khmelnytskyi region (+9%), Chernihiv region (+6%), Lviv region (+5%), Ternopil region (+4%), Volyn region (+4%), Cherkasy region (+4%), Zhytomyr region (+2%), and Poltava region (+1%) compared to October 1 last year.
Georghii Kukhaleishvili notes that the reduction in the cattle population is a long-standing problem for Ukraine due to the lack of an effective state support program for dairy farming. The war has only exacerbated the situation. A sharp reduction in the population continues in the East and South. Agricultural enterprises are relocating cows from the Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions to safer regions of Western Ukraine amid the intensification of Russian missile and bomb attacks on border and frontline settlements. The cow population decreased in the Zakarpattia, Chernivtsi, and Vinnytsia regions, which is likely associated with the culling of unproductive animals. As a result of relocation, the Khmelnytskyi, Vinnytsia, and Zhytomyr regions have joined the leading regions in terms of livestock numbers.
Most farms in Ukraine were built in the 70s and 80s and no longer meet the requirements for keeping animals. The lack of suitable premises for keeping cows creates prerequisites for a further reduction in the population. Many farmers are not investing in increasing the cow population 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, MinAgro, with GFDRR support, farmers' production costs are rising faster than finished product prices due to the increasing cost of feed, electricity, the devaluation of the hryvnia, and a decline in the population's purchasing power.
However, MTFs in relatively safe regions of Ukraine are modernizing existing facilities and building new ones. They are also increasing their high-yielding cow population. According to AMP calculations, at least 40 farms are currently implementing these measures.
In the regional context, about 50% of animals from the total cattle population are kept in farms of all categories in the following regions:
- Khmelnytskyi region – 195.8 thousand head
- Poltava region – 178.8 thousand head
- Vinnytsia region – 154.5 thousand head
- Ternopil region – 128.2 thousand head
- Cherkasy region – 127.6 thousand head
- Odesa region – 127.2 thousand head
- Chernihiv region – 127.1 thousand head
Press service of the Association of Milk Producers
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