Despite the difficult economic situation and full-scale war, Ukrainian farmers are demonstrating positive dynamics in the dairy sector. As of May 1, 2025, Ukraine recorded an increase in the number of cattle (cattle) on dairy farms both in comparison with the previous month and the same period last year. The leaders in terms of the number of cattle remain Poltava, Cherkasy, Kyiv, Chernihiv and Vinnytsia regions.

According to the Association of Milk Producers (AVM), the total cattle population in Ukraine is 2 million 179.8 thousand animals, of which 1 million 153.3 thousand are cows. As explained by AVM analyst Georgy Kukhaleyshvili, the trend of reducing the number of livestock in Ukraine is primarily associated with private farms, while the industrial sector demonstrates moderate but stable growth.

Industrial-type enterprises keep 921.5 thousand heads of cattle — 5 thousand more than in April. Of these, 382.4 thousand are cows, which is 5.2 thousand more than a month earlier. At the same time, 1 million 258.3 thousand heads of cattle are kept in private farms, which is 37 thousand more, but the number of cows in this segment decreased by 2 thousand — to 770.9 thousand.

The largest number of cows was recorded in Poltava region — 125 thousand heads. In second place is Cherkasy region with 104 thousand, followed by Kyiv (89.2 thousand), Chernihiv (88.4 thousand) and Vinnytsia regions (81 thousand). These regions remain the centers of development of industrial dairy farming due to relative security, investment activity of farmers and support for local initiatives.

Despite the positive dynamics, AVM notes that most farmers still do not have the opportunity to significantly increase their livestock due to a shortage of working capital. At the same time, about 40 farms are currently implementing modernization projects or creating new dairy farms - mainly in safer regions where there are conditions for sustainable development.

Georgy Kukhaleyshvili emphasizes that the structural reduction of the cattle population has been ongoing in Ukraine for many years. The main reason is the lack of a stable state policy to support dairy farming. After the start of full-scale Russian aggression, the process accelerated even more: in frontline regions, animals are dying from shelling, and part of the livestock remained in temporarily occupied territories and cannot be counted. But despite these challenges, the agricultural sector is looking for ways to recover, which gives reason for cautious optimism.