Farms of all categories produced 3.55 million metric tons of raw milk in January–July 2026, which is 12% less than during the same period in 2025, according to the Association of Milk Producers (AMP), citing preliminary data from the State Statistics Service.
In July, farms of all categories produced 563,700 metric tons of raw milk—0.5% less than in June and 15% less than in July 2025.
Agricultural enterprises produced 281,000 metric tons, which is 0.7% less than in June but 4.5% more than last year, while private households produced 282,700 metric tons, which is 0.2% less than in June and 28.3% less than in July 2025.
Over the first seven months of 2026, commercial dairy farms increased raw milk production by 5%—to 1.93 million metric tons—while private households reduced it by 27%—to 1.62 million metric tons.
“Raw milk production in Ukraine has declined due to the heat, as not all commercial dairy farms have been modernized and equipped with state-of-the-art ventilation systems that allow cows to avoid heat stress. The hot weather led to a 10–15% decline in raw milk production at many farms,” the AVM explained.
In January–July 2026, approximately 54% of raw milk was produced by agricultural enterprises in five regions: Poltava, Cherkasy, Khmelnytskyi, Chernihiv, and Vinnytsia.
The AVM noted that in January–July, agricultural enterprises accounted for 54% of raw milk production, while private farms accounted for 46%.
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
PJSC ‘Yuria’ (trademark “Voloshkove Pole”) increased its net profit to 67.2 million UAH in January–June 2026, up from 1.8 billion UAH during the same period last year.
According to the company’s disclosure in the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC) disclosure system, its revenue grew by 10.4% to 1.19 billion UAH.
According to the financial statements, the company’s gross profit for the first half of the year increased by 46.1% to 179.8 million UAH, while operating profit rose 14.2-fold to 72.6 million UAH.
As of June 30, 2026, PJSC “Yuria’s” assets totaled 1.092 billion UAH, compared to 1.039 billion UAH at the beginning of the year; its accumulated losses decreased to 275.2 million UAH from 342.5 million UAH, while current liabilities rose to 1.325 billion UAH from 1.271 billion UAH; of this amount, 700.9 million UAH consisted of accounts payable to suppliers, and 473.9 million UAH consisted of advances received.
At the same time, the company significantly reduced its bank debt: long-term loans at the beginning of the year amounted to 67.7 million UAH, while as of the end of June, the financial statements showed only 1 million UAH in short-term loans.
As previously reported, at an extraordinary general meeting on July 2, 2026, the shareholders of PJSC “Yuria” preliminarily approved the conclusion of significant transactions with JSC “Pivdenny” totaling up to 900 million UAH, including loan and other financial agreements, as well as amendments to existing agreements regarding financing limits, terms, interest rates, and fees.
PJSC “Yuria” is the legal successor to the Cherkasy City Milk Processing Plant, which has a design capacity of 25 metric tons of raw milk processing per day. It ranks among the top ten largest Ukrainian milk producers.
The dairy producer, operating under the “Voloshkove Pole” trademark, invested EUR 1.5 million in 2023 to install a Tetra Pak production line in order to double its output of ultra-pasteurized milk. In 2024, the company invested EUR 1.6 million in modernizing the production facilities of its enterprises and commissioned a new production line for glazed cheese curds.
The company has two subsidiaries: “Yuria-2”—a network of brand-name stores and kiosks in Cherkasy—and “Yuria-Trans”—a trucking company that delivers raw materials and supplies for processing, products to retail outlets, and provides other transportation services. Its raw material supply area covers the Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Kyiv, and Vinnytsia regions. Milk is collected from over 200 settlements.
The company’s beneficial owners are Oleksandr and Andriy Tabalov.
According to the annual report, “Yuriya’s” revenue in 2025 grew by 27.8%—to 2.20095 billion UAH—while net profit amounted to 62.68 million UAH, compared to a net loss of 121.95 million UAH the previous year.
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
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.
The cow herd in Ukraine will continue to shrink and, as of January 1, 2028, could fall to 917,000 head, compared to an estimated 1.055 million head at the beginning of 2026, while milk production, after many years of decline, will stabilize at around 6.7 million metric tons per year, according to the study “The Dairy Industry of Ukraine in the Context of European Integration.”
Vadym Chagarovsky, Chairman of the Ukrainian Dairy Enterprises Association, noted during the study’s presentation at Agro Ukraine Week 2026 that despite the steady decline in the cow herd in Ukraine, productivity is rising and the volume of milk sent for processing is increasing.
According to the study, the total dairy cow herd across all farm categories decreased from 2.018 million head in 2018 to 1.055 million head in 2026, a decline of 48%.
The largest decline is occurring on private farms, where the herd size decreased by 55% between 2018 and 2026—to 660 thousand head—and may fall to 500 thousand head by 2028.
At the same time, following a prolonged decline, the herd size at agricultural enterprises is projected to grow from 395 thousand head in 2026 to 417 thousand head in 2028.
Milk production in Ukraine has also declined in recent years—from 10.2 million metric tons in 2017 to 6.9 million metric tons in 2025, or by 33%.
At the same time, the study’s authors predict that the long-standing decline in milk production will come to an end and that production will stabilize at 6.7 million metric tons in 2026–2027.
Milk production at agricultural enterprises will continue to grow—from 3.4 million metric tons in 2026 to 3.7 million metric tons in 2027—while production on private farms will decrease from 3.3 million metric tons to 3 million metric tons, respectively. The share of industrial milk production is forecast to increase from 46% in 2025 to 55% in 2027.
Chagarovsky also emphasized that the Ukrainian dairy industry retains its potential for growth thanks to industrial production and the modernization of enterprises.
According to the study, Ukraine’s dairy industry currently produces 6.9 million metric tons of milk per year, accounts for about 0.25% of GDP, and generates 124 billion hryvnia in output. Ukraine’s share of global milk production stands at 0.7%.
To transition to an industrial model of sector development and increase production to 10 million metric tons of milk per year, investments totaling EUR9 billion are needed to establish a raw material base. Specifically, this includes increasing the herd by 750,000 cows and constructing approximately 700 industrial dairy farms. According to the study’s authors, an additional EUR6 billion needs to be allocated to modernizing and expanding processing capacities.
The study “Ukraine’s Dairy Industry in the Context of European Integration” was prepared by the Ukrainian Dairy Industry Association.
Cow, dairy industry, EUROPEAN INTEGRATION, INVESTMENTS, MILK, PRODUCTION
