Cows decreased in Ukraine, but milk production still increased

The increase in milk production at agricultural enterprises of Ukraine this year is one of the best in Europe, although the country recorded a decrease in the number of cows.

According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, in October of the current year, farms of all categories produced 596,800 tons. tone of raw milk. This is 3% less compared to September of this year and 3% less compared to October 2023. In general, in January-October 2024, the volume of loans amounted to 6 million 148.9 thousand. tons, which is 3% less compared to last year's period. The share of enterprises in the production of raw milk was 41%, and households - 59%. Enterprises produced 242.2 thousand tons of milk, dairy farms produced 2 million 462.4 thousand tons of milk, and in private households the volume of milk was 354.6 thousand. tone of milk. At the same time, despite the increase in production in the industrial sector, the volume of income continues to fall in private peasant farms. Currently, it is likely that if by 2030 private peasant farms do not consolidate, their milk will cease to be processed and will be used for personal consumption.

At the same time, the number of cattle in Ukraine continues to decrease. Mainly, reduction of the number of cows occurs in households. At enterprises, the number of livestock decreased at a slower pace. As of November 1, 2.24 million cattle were kept in the domestic and industrial sector of Ukraine, including 1.23 million cows. Compared to October 1 of this year, the livestock decreased by 49.3 thousand. (-2%), and the number of cows fell by 9.6 thousand. (-1%). 918.5 thousand are held in the industrial sector. heads of cattle, which by 4.4 thousand (-0.5%) less than on October 1, 2024. The number of cows was 375.3 thousand. and decreased by 600 heads (-0.2%) over the last month. The herd reduction has been occurring for many years due to the lack of an effective state program to support dairy farming. Also, this trend accelerated after the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia. After all, many farmers do not invest in increasing the number of cows during the war and experience a shortage of working capital. Regionally, about 53% of animals from the total cattle population are kept in farms of all categories in Khmelnytskyi, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Odesa and Cherkasy regions.

By the way, in Ukraine, more than 25% of dairy products are falsified, and most often butter, cheese, sour cream and ice cream are counterfeited. Most often, dairy products with vegetable fat content are exported to markets with low purchasing power. Usually, the export of such products is aimed at Africa and Asia. At the same time, even European dairy farmers replace milk fat with vegetable fat in products that go to markets with low purchasing power. This is the case with processed cheeses that are exported to the markets of Asia, Africa or the Middle East. It is important to note that conscientious producers of dairy products do not use milk fat substitutes at all. Instead, there is a shadow sector of milk processing. The volume of falsified dairy products reached 20-25%. In fact, if the product is called cheese, and there milk fat is replaced by vegetable fat, then this is a deception of the consumer.

By the way, the price of domestic raw milk and dairy products began to rise in autumn, which was caused by the increase in the cost of production, electricity and other factors. At the same time, the purchase price of extra-grade milk at the end of December is highly likely to cross the threshold of UAH 20 per kilogram, excluding VAT. As of December 30, the price of premium milk is forecast at UAH 19.56 per kg, first grade at UAH 19.12 per kg. At the same time, the increase in purchase prices for raw milk, fuel, and electricity can provoke a significant increase in retail prices for dairy products. But the low purchasing power of citizens will be a restraining factor in the increase in the cost of dairy products in retail establishments.