Ukraine’s Cattle Herd Declines by 200,000 Cows Over the Past Year
As of 1 July 2026, Ukraine’s household and commercial sectors accounted for 1.767 million head of cattle, including 941.2 thousand cows.
The figures were reported by the Association of Milk Producers, citing data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine.
According to the association, compared with 1 June 2026, Ukraine’s cattle herd decreased by 19.9 thousand head (-1.1%), while the number of cows remained unchanged. Compared with the same date last year, the total cattle population declined by 403 thousand head (-19%), including a decrease of 205 thousand cows (-18%).
Approximately 54% of the country’s cattle are kept on commercial farms, while the remaining 46%are raised in household farms, the experts noted.
The commercial sector accounts for 955.2 thousand head of cattle, up 4 thousand head (+0.4%) compared with June 2026. The number of cows reached 396.6 thousand head, an increase of 4.7 thousand head (+1.2%) over the past month. Compared with a year earlier, cattle numbers on commercial farms increased by 33.3 thousand head (+4%), while the cow population grew by 14.5 thousand head (+4%).
Meanwhile, 811.8 thousand head of cattle are kept in household farms, down 24 thousand head(-2.9%) from 1 June 2026. As of 1 July 2026, household farms kept 544.6 thousand cows, a decrease of 5 thousand head (-0.9%) compared with the previous month. Over the past year, the cattle population in household farms declined by 436 thousand head (-35%), while the number of cows fell by 220 thousand head (-29%).
Growth in the commercial dairy herd was recorded in 12 regions of Ukraine: Rivne (+21%), Lviv (+20%), Ternopil (+15%), Kharkiv (+15%), Zhytomyr (+8%), Khmelnytskyi (+7%), Vinnytsia (+4%), Kyiv (+4%), Mykolaiv (+4%), Cherkasy (+4%), Chernihiv (+4%), and Volyn (+2%) compared with 1 July 2025.
«Ukraine’s cow population continues to decline due to low milk prices, rising production costs, and the consequences of the war, while the commercial sector remains relatively stable. Without modernization of the dairy processing industry and higher farm-gate milk prices, there is a risk of further herd reduction, as farmers are increasingly selling cattle amid high global beef prices,» the association said.
