As of August 1, 2026, the cattle herd in Ukraine had decreased by 15,900 head, or 0.9%, compared to July 1—to 1.751 million head, while the number of cows decreased by 8,600 head, or 0.9%, to 932,600 head, according to the Association of Milk Producers (AMP), citing preliminary data from the State Statistics Service (SSS).
Compared to August 1, 2025, the cattle herd decreased by 400,000 head, or 19%, and the number of cows fell by 208,000 head, or 18%.
The industrial sector held 953,000 head of cattle, which is 2,000 head, or 0.2%, fewer than a month earlier, but 29,500 head, or 3%, more than a year ago. The number of cows on agricultural enterprises decreased by 3,800 head, or 1%, over the month—to 392,800 head—but increased by 11,200 head, or 3%, over the year.
Private households kept 798,100 head of cattle, which is 14,000 head, or 1.7%, fewer than a month earlier, and 430,000 head, or 35%, fewer than a year ago. The number of cows in this sector decreased by 5,000 head, or 0.9%, over the month—to 539,800 head—and by 219,000 head, or 29%, over the year.
“The cattle herd in Ukraine, including cows, continues to shrink, primarily due to the decline in the backyard farming sector. The commercial sector increased its cow herd compared to the same period last year. However, farmers sold off part of their cows in July,” the AVM noted.
According to the association, the recovery of the herd is being negatively affected by rising production costs for raw milk, low purchase prices, and the likely increase in feed costs. According to preliminary data from the State Statistics Service, cattle slaughter volumes in January–July 2026 totaled 79.24 thousand metric tons, which is 6% more than last year.
The largest number of cows in the commercial sector were kept in the Poltava region—52,400 head; Cherkasy—46,100; Chernihiv—38,000; Kyiv—35,400; and Khmelnytskyi and Vinnytsia—32,500 head each. In total, these six regions account for about 60% of the cows in Ukraine’s commercial sector.
