During 2024, the cattle population in Ukraine decreased by 126.7 thousand heads

As a result of the war and the forced relocation of farms from frontline regions, the cattle population in Ukraine decreased by 126.7 thousand heads in 2024, mainly in households. At the same time, dairy farms are increasing their livestock and productivity, the Milk Producers Association reports.

 

As of January 1, 2025, the livestock population decreased (compared to January 1, 2024) by 6% or 126.7 thousand heads to 2029.5 thousand heads, in particular cows - by 7% or 85.2 thousand heads to 1177.7 thousand heads. Almost 45% of animals are kept at industrial enterprises, and 55% - on homestead farms.

 

In the industry, the cattle population during 2024 decreased by 0.2% or 2.2 thousand heads to 917.6 thousand heads, in particular, the number of cows - by 1% or 3.7 thousand heads to 378.5 thousand heads, and in December it increased by 0.8% or 3 thousand heads.

 

In households, the number of cattle decreased by 11% or 124.5 thousand heads to 1,111.9 thousand heads in 2024, in particular cows - by 10% or 81.5 thousand heads to 799.2 thousand heads.

 

In Ukraine, the cattle population has been declining for many years due to the lack of effective state support programs for the industry, but the process accelerated after the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation. Some animals remained in the occupied territories, some died or were injured due to shelling.

 

Currently, the best conditions for relocation have been created in farms in the frontline regions of Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy regions. However, the process is complicated by the lack of the necessary number of premises adapted for keeping animals, so the livestock will continue to decrease.

 

Currently, farmers are not taking the risk of investing in livestock and are experiencing a shortage of working capital, as production costs are growing faster than prices for finished products. The increase in the cost of feed and electricity, the devaluation of the hryvnia, and the decline in the purchasing power of the population will contribute to a further reduction in the livestock population. The number of animals in household farms is decreasing the most, while industrial farms have proven to be more resistant to the consequences of the war. Currently, at least 40 dairy farms in relatively safe regions of Ukraine are modernizing existing and will build new facilities, as well as increasing the number of highly productive cows.

 

According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, during 2024, the number of cows increased the most at enterprises in the following regions:

• Mykolaivska – by 12.2%,
• Ternopil - 9.5%,
• Khmelnytskyi - 5.2%,
• Cherkasy - 3.9%,
• Kyiv - 3.2%,
• Vinnytsia - 1.9%,
• Zhytomyr - 1.8%,
• Poltava - 1.7%,
• Volyn - 1.1%.

 

As of January 1, 2025, the following number of cattle was kept in households:

• Khmelnytskyi region – 198.2 thousand heads;
• Poltava region – 168.5 thousand heads;
• Vinnytsia region – 145.7 thousand heads;
• Ternopil region – 124.9 thousand heads;
• Cherkasy region – 121.1 thousand heads;
• Odesa region – 121 thousand heads;
• Chernihiv region – 116.7 thousand heads;
• Kyiv region – 101 thousand heads.