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Furthers decline in GB milking herd, youngstock numbers increase
Thursday, 10 December 2020
By Felicity Rusk
The GB milking herd has continued to shrink, according to the latest data from BCMS. As at 1 October, there was a total of 1.70 million cows in the GB dairy herd. This is a 2.8% reduction compared to the same point in the previous year, the equivalent of almost 50,000 head. This annual change is in line with what we have seen throughout this year.
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There was a particularly large drop in the number of cows aged between 3.5-4.5 years, with numbers down by 8.0% on the year - the equivalent to 28,000 cattle. This is mainly a result of fewer calves being born in 2016 and 2017, which is now working its way through the herd.
The number of youngstock has continued to increase on the year, with an additional 18,000 dairy females under 12 months (+4.1%) compared to the same point in the previous year. This highlights the substantial leaps made in the usage and performance of sexed semen in the last two years.
Compared to the previous quarter (1 July), all age categories recorded an increase in numbers, which is typical for the time of year. The overall change in the size of the milking herd is in line with the three-year average (2017-2019). This indicates that farmers are no longer employing as strict a culling policy after the curbs on milk production were lifted in the summer.
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