Defra figures show continued contraction in breeding cattle and sheep populations: Beef and lamb market update

Key points:

• The UK cattle herd stood at 9.06 million head as of 1 December 2025, down 1% year on year.
• Continued contraction was noted in the suckler herd, although the rate of contraction has slowed compared to previous herd inventories.
• The UK sheep flock totalled 20.45 million head, down 2.1% year-on-year. However, data for Wales remains subject to change.
• The English sheep flock contracted by 5.5% to total 9.4 million head, with the largest fall in numbers outside of the breeding flock.

Cattle population trends

The UK cattle population stood at 9.06 million head as of 1 December 2025, according to Defra’s latest inventory data. This represents a 1% fall year-on-year.

The female breeding herd totalled 3.08 million head, down 1.7% year-on-year.

Suckler cows continued to drive this contraction, with the herd losing 40,000 head (3.1%) year-on-year. While a continuation of recent trends, this latest change represents the slowest rate of contraction recorded since December 2022.

Dairy cow numbers also contracted versus last year but by a smaller margin, with numbers back 15,000 head (-1%). This is likely driven by lower dairy prices encouraging producers to cull weaker performers in their herds.

Figure 1.  UK breeding cow herd as of 1 December

Source: Defra

Figure 1 shows a line chart of the UK breeding cow herd, split by dairy and suckler (beef) over the last ten years (2015-2025). The light blue line shows the dairy herd, which is broadly stable. The dark blue line corresponds to the beef herd, which has been in steady contraction over the period.

The number of cattle aged between 1-2 years also fell year-on-year, with nearly 32,000 head fewer cattle recorded (including both males and females) in December 2025 compared to the year before. This reflects the tightness in supply that has supported cattle prices at elevated levels in recent months.

Cattle populations aged under 1 year old showed more stability, with numbers at 2.83 million head (-0.2% year-on-year). Growth in male calf numbers just about outweighed a small reduction in female calf numbers.

Sheep population trends

The UK flock stood at 20.45 million head as of 1 December 2025, down 2.1% on the same point of the previous year. Annual contractions were seen in both the female breeding flock and the “other sheep and lambs” category.

Note: Defra have reported that due to unvalidated Welsh data for December 2025, data from December 2024 has been included in the latest UK total for sheep. Data will be revised and updated as validated data becomes available.

England’s sheep population

The English sheep flock totalled 9.42 million head at 1 December 2025, a contraction of 5.5% versus the same date of 2024.

The female breeding flock contracted by 2% between December 2024 and 2025, to stand at 5.70 million head as of the latest count.

Meanwhile, the number of sheep and lambs outside of the breeding flock totalled 3.72 million head. This was 10.4% lower than December 2024, and supports our forecast of a smaller lamb crop in 2025.

Figure 2. England sheep flock as of 1 December

Source: Defra

Figure 2 is a bar chart showing trends in the English sheep flock, split by the female breeding flock (light blue bars) and other sheep and lambs (dark blue bars).

We’d expect contraction in the breeding flock at December to continue to limit lamb numbers for the 2026 lambing season, however the conditions through the spring will be a key influence on rearing rates, and by extension, sheep supplies for the coming year.

You can subscribe to receive Beef and Lamb market news straight to your inbox. Simply fill in your contact details on our online form.