UK and EU cow numbers

Updated 08 August 2024

These figures track annual changes in cow numbers in the UK and within the EU. You can also dig deeper into the statistics and have a look at cow numbers by country, and for England, by county.

• As of December 2023, the total number of dairy cows in the UK stood at 2.65 million head, 10,000 head (-0.4%)  less than  at the same point in the previous year, according to data from Defra.
• In December, the milking herd totalled 1.84 million head. This was 9,000 fewer  animals than at the same point in the previous year.
• The number of female cattle aged over 24 months saw a an increase, rising by 5,000 head on the year to 235,000. The number of female dairy cattle aged between 12 and 24 months fell by 6,000 head compared to the previous year's value of 586,000.

• In 2023 there were 19.7 million dairy cows in the EU (ex-UK). This was -1.7 % (336000) less than in 2022
• Germany had the largest dairy cow population within the EU (ex-UK). Last year, 3.7 million dairy cows were recorded in the nation, which accounted for 18.8% of the total EU (ex-UK) dairy population.
• Malta continued to be the smallest milk producing nation within the EU, with just 5,930 dairy cows recorded in 2023
• The majority of EU (ex-UK) countries recorded an annual decline in cow numbers in 2023. Germany recorded the largest loss with 96,900 (-2.5%)  fewer animals than in the previous year.
• Poland recorded the largest expansion within the EU (ex-UK) last year. The population reached 2.1 million head, up 31,000 (1.5%) on the year.

Please note, different methods are used for calculating cow numbers in the UK. Cattle Tracing System (CTS) data has been used by Wales since 2004, England since 2005 and Scotland since 2006. Since 2005, Northern Ireland has used APHIS.

This dataset was produced by our Data and Analysis Team. To find out more about the team, please visit the Data and Analysis team page.

If you need any further help, please email Martin, Dorian, Gavin or Esther at datum@ahdb.org.uk

On the "Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June" page, under "English geographical breakdowns" cow numbers by county breakdowns in England are given in the "local authority" and "regional and county/ unitary authority" downloads.

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