Ukraine’s livestock sector forecast to remain stagnant in 2026

This forecast was made by researchers at the National Scientific Center «Institute of Agrarian Economics.»

According to Oleksandr Nechyporenko, Deputy Director of the NSC IAE and Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, meat production — livestock and poultry raising — is forecast to decline by 1.6% in 2026 compared with 2025. In particular, beef production is expected to fall by 6.9%, pork by 4.7%, sheep and goat meat by 6.5%, and meat of other animals by 1.5%.This decrease is expected mainly due to a reduction in livestock numbers in households: cattle, excluding cows, by 20%; pigs by 7%; and sheep and goats by 10%.

A decrease is also expected in the indicator «sales of products in live weight» across all categories of farms: cattle by 7%, pigs by 5%, and sheep and goats by 7%, Oleksandr Nechyporenko said.

An increase is expected only in poultry meat production — by 0.9%, driven by a 2% rise in sales of products in live weight.

According to researchers, milk production is forecast to decline by 4.3% in 2026, while wool production is expected to decrease by 5.1%.

Egg production will remain at the 2025 level.

Overall, according to the forecast by researchers at the Institute of Agrarian Economics, the livestock sector continues to remain stagnant, showing an expected decline in gross output due to a decrease in livestock numbers, rising feed and energy costs, limited access to sales markets, and ongoing risks related to russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine.

«The expected decline in milk production may lead to a further increase in Ukraine’s dependence on imports of dairy products. However, a positive development in the livestock sector is the growth in poultry meat production, which highlights the relative resilience of poultry farming under today’s difficult conditions,» Oleksandr Nechyporenko concluded.