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.
Agroko LLC (Cherkasy region) has begun construction of a new 800-head dairy barn with a cross-ventilation system, which it plans to complete in 2027, company director Volodymyr Tarandushka said in an interview with United Farmers Ukraine.
“We began construction on May 1, and as of today, the foundation for our future cross-ventilated barn has already been completed. We are building a new cross-ventilated barn for 800 head using modern technology,” he said.
According to Tarandushka, the company plans to build a new 60-stall “carousel-style” milking parlor to serve both the new and existing barns.
Cross-ventilation is intended to ensure a more stable microclimate and reduce heat stress in the animals, which, according to estimates, will help maintain herd productivity during the summer heat.
As Tarandushka noted, the new barn will be the first facility of its kind in the Cherkasy region.
The plan is to initially transfer the most productive herd to it, after which the farm will gradually increase its livestock population.
The plan is to increase milk production from 50 to 75 metric tons per day.
STOV “Agroko” was registered in 2001 in the Cherkasy region. It is engaged in the cultivation of grains, legumes, and oilseeds, the breeding of dairy cattle, and milk production.
The ultimate beneficial owner is Ihor Potapenko.
According to Opendatabot, in 2025, STOV “Agroko” increased its revenue by 31.5%—to 1.079 billion UAH—and its net profit by 35.4%, to 382 million UAH.
CHERKASY REGION, dairy barn, livestock farming, MILK, Агроко
According to experts.news, as of June 1, 2026, there were 1,786,900 head of cattle in Ukraine, including 941,200 cows, the Milk Producers Association reported on June 26, citing preliminary data from the State Statistics Service.
Compared to June 1, 2025, the cattle herd decreased by 383,000 head, or 18%, while the number of cows decreased by 208,000, also by 18%. Over the month, the total cattle herd increased slightly—by 2,100 head—while the number of cows decreased by 3,300.
About 53% of the herd is held by agricultural enterprises, with the remaining 47% held by private households.
In the industrial sector, there were 951,200 head of cattle as of early June, including 391,900 cows. Over the year, enterprises increased their cattle herd by 4% and their number of cows by 3%.
At the same time, private households held 835,700 head of cattle, of which 549,300 were cows. Over the past year, the private sector lost 33% of its cattle herd and 28% of its cows. It is precisely this reduction in livestock holdings by private households that remains the main cause of the overall decline in the country’s figures.
An increase in the number of cows at agricultural enterprises was recorded in 11 regions. The largest increases in herd size were observed in Rivne Oblast (29%), Lviv Oblast (22%), Kharkiv Oblast (13%), Ternopil Oblast (11%), and Khmelnytskyi Oblast (9%). In Kyiv Oblast, the number of cows in the commercial sector increased by 3%.
The largest cattle herds across all farm categories were held in Poltava Oblast—168,000 head, Vinnytsia Oblast—160,000, Khmelnytskyi—143,400, Odesa—131,600, Chernihiv—126,100, Cherkasy—125,400, and Kyiv—105,700 head. These seven regions accounted for approximately 54% of the country’s total cattle population.
The Milk Producers Association attributes the decline in the herd size to low milk purchase prices, rising costs of feed, fuel, and fertilizers, insufficient farm modernization, and the consequences of hostilities. Farms in frontline regions are also forced to transport their livestock to central and western regions.
According to the association’s estimates, approximately 850 of Ukraine’s 1,375 thousand dairy farms require renovation to meet European standards for animal husbandry. The estimated investment need is approximately EUR219 million.
At the beginning of 1991, Ukraine had 24,623,400 head of cattle, including 8,378,200 cows. By early 2001, the cattle herd had declined to 9,424,000 head, and the number of cows to approximately 4,958,000.
In 2013, Ukraine had 4.646 million head of cattle and 2.554 million cows. As of early 2021, these figures stood at 2.874 million and 1.673 million head, respectively.
As of January 1, 2025, the cattle herd was estimated at 2.002 million head, including 1.155 million cows. By the beginning of 2026, these figures had fallen to 1.804 million head of cattle and 1.022 million cows.
Thus, from the beginning of 1991 to the beginning of 2026, the total cattle herd in Ukraine decreased by approximately 92.7%, or 13.6 times. The number of cows decreased by 87.8%, or 8.2 times.
By June 1, 2026, the number of cows fell below 1 million heads for the first time—to 941,200. Compared to 1991, this represents a decline of nearly 89%, or 8.9 times.
When comparing long-term indicators, changes in statistical coverage should be taken into account. Data for 2015–2021 do not include the temporarily occupied Crimea, Sevastopol, and parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, while figures from 2022 also exclude other occupied territories and parts of combat zones.
Despite the sharp overall decline in livestock numbers, industrial dairy farms in relatively safe regions are partially increasing their herds of productive cows. However, this is not yet sufficient to compensate for the mass exodus of smallholder farms from livestock production.
https://www.experts.news/posts/poholivya-vrkh-v-ukrayini-za-rik-skorotylosya-na-18
As of July 1, 2026, the cattle herd on agricultural enterprises in Ukraine had increased by 4% compared to the same date last year—to 955,200 head, while on private farms it decreased by 35%—to 811,800 head, according to the Association of Milk Producers (AMP), citing preliminary data from the State Statistics Service (SSS).
According to State Statistics Service data, as of July 1, 2026, there were 1.767 million head of cattle in Ukraine, including 941,200 cows.
About 54% of the cattle herd was kept on agricultural enterprises, and another 46% on private farms.
Agricultural enterprises had 396,600 cows, which is 4% more than a year ago, while the number of cows on private farms decreased by 29% to 544,600 head.
“The cow herd is shrinking mainly in the backyard farming sector but remains relatively stable in the commercial sector. The decline in the cattle herd is a long-standing problem in Ukraine due to the lack of an effective government program to support dairy farming. Since 2014, the cow herd in the commercial and backyard farming sectors has nearly halved, and the situation has been further exacerbated by Russia’s full-scale invasion and unfavorable market conditions,” the AVM emphasized.
The association noted that the recovery of the herd is being negatively impacted by low milk purchase prices, rising production costs, the relocation of farms from frontline regions, and adaptation to EU environmental and phytosanitary requirements.
According to the AVM’s assessment, without the modernization of dairy processing plants and an increase in purchase prices, there is a risk of a further reduction in the herd size, as farmers are increasingly selling their livestock amid high global beef prices.
According to the State Statistics Service, the largest herds of dairy cows in the commercial sector are concentrated in Poltava Oblast—52,800 head, Cherkasy Oblast—46,000 head, Chernihiv Oblast—38,800 head, Kyiv Oblast—35,600 head, and Vinnytsia Oblast—33,000 head. In total, these five regions account for about 52% of Ukraine’s commercial cow herd.
CATTLE, Cow, FARM, livestock farming, State Statistics Service
Agricultural output in Ukraine from January through June 2026 decreased by 1.6% compared to the same period in 2025, while growth for the first five months stood at 1.4%, according to the State Statistics Service (Derzhstat).
According to the published data, the negative trend was driven by the crop production sector at agricultural enterprises, where a decline of 14.8% was recorded.
In contrast, the livestock sector at agricultural enterprises showed growth of 10.7%.
The best performance in crop production across all categories of farms was recorded in the following regions: Volyn (80.1%), Kherson (54.5%), Dnipropetrovsk (23.8%), Ternopil (20.7%), and Cherkasy (16.3%).
The most significant decline in crop production across all categories of farms was recorded in Donetsk Oblast (52.6%), Zaporizhzhia Oblast (35.6%), and Odesa Oblast (34.3%).
The best performance among farms of all categories in the livestock sector was recorded in Kyiv (9.1%), Cherkasy (8.2%), Dnipropetrovsk (6.6%), Chernihiv (7%), and Kirovohrad (5.9%) regions.
The most significant decline in production among farms of all categories in the livestock sector was recorded in the Donetsk (53.9%), Zakarpattia (32.9%), and Kherson (16.3%) regions.
As previously reported, agricultural production in Ukraine decreased by 6.8% in 2025 compared to 2024.
AGRICULTURE, crop production, livestock farming, PRODUCTION, State Statistics Service
The agro-industrial holding “Astarta” has modernized one of the largest livestock complexes in the Khmelnytskyi region by installing a state-of-the-art 40-head milking carousel, the company’s press service reported on Facebook.
“Dairy farming remains one of Astarta’s strategic areas of development… In the last 2.5 years alone, investments in the dairy segment have exceeded 1 billion hryvnia,” the press service quoted Viktor Ivanchik, CEO of the agribusiness holding, as saying.
According to the press service, investments are being made in farm modernization, technology, and production quality, resulting in market leadership in industrial milk production and 99% of milk being of extra-class quality.
According to the company, the complex is designed to house 2,000 head of cattle.
The modernization project involved upgrading production facilities with a focus on improving animal welfare, production efficiency, and the potential for further expansion.
The company noted that the modernization is part of the holding’s infrastructure program, which also includes the implementation of digital technologies in livestock farming, improving the energy efficiency of farms, and enhancing the genetics of the herd.
“Astarta” is a vertically integrated agro-industrial holding operating in seven regions of Ukraine and is the country’s largest sugar producer. The company’s portfolio includes five sugar refineries, agricultural enterprises with a land bank of 214,000 hectares (including 129,000 hectares in Poltava Oblast, 42,000 hectares in Khmelnytskyi Oblast, and 16,000 hectares in Vinnytsia Oblast), and 26 dairy farms with 29,000 head of cattle across three regions. The holding company also operates a soybean processing plant and a bioenergy complex in Poltava Oblast, as well as a network of six grain elevators.
Astarta’s net profit for 2025 fell 4.2-fold to $19.94 million, while consolidated revenue decreased by 23% to $472 million.
Revenue from the livestock segment last year amounted to EUR56 million, and the average annual livestock headcount increased by 5% to 29,000.
Milk sales volumes rose by 6% year-over-year to 122,000 metric tons. At the same time, 99% of the raw milk was classified as extra-quality milk, compared to 97% in 2024.
