GB dairy population: The GB milking herd sees lowest level on record

Key points

• The overall GB milking herd totalled 1.57 million head, as of the 1 July 2026
• The milking herd contracted 34,500 head in the year ending 1 July 2026, versus the previous year, yet the GB milk deliveries increased
• 4-6 year old cattle was the only age group who gained numbers, up 0.5%
• Youngstock under 2 years have dropped 2.2% in the 12 months ending 1 July 2026, creating concern over availability going forward. This had dropped significantly from the peak in early 2023

Figure 1: GB female dairy population in million head, Jul 2019 - Jul 2026

Source: BCMS

Figure 1 is a line chart which shows the GB female dairy milking heard in the light blue line, and the dairy female youngstock in dark blue from July 2019 – July 2026.

As of 1 July 2026, the GB milking herd stood just over 1.6 million head, down 34,500 head year-on-year. This marks the largest annual decline since January 2021. The youngstock herd stood at 869,000 head, down 36,000 head year-on-year.

In the under 2 years old category, the numbers of cattle dropped 2.2% making up 19,500 head. This was a larger drop than the same period the year before, which saw a 1.8% drop. There has been a consistent reduction in dairy female births since early 2023. Favourable dairy-beef economics and the improvement in sexed semen technology has led to a reduction in dairy heifer replacements being born. This has led to concern over the availability of dairy replacements going forward.

The biggest change year-on-year came from the 2–4-year-old category, which dropped 3.9% making up 29,800 head.

The 4-6 year old herd has made the only increase in numbers over the period, increasing 0.5% - representing just over 2,500 head.

Dairy cows aged 6-8 years old and over 8 years old have both declined in number. With the milk and beef price having been up, more culls may have been held back to gain the income from milk sales and then getting an extra beef calf from the cow. Going into the year ending 1 July 2026, the milk price dropped off significantly, and having had the calf, it was natural for those older animals to be culled.

Figure 2: Annual change in GB dairy herd by age in thousand head, Jul 2025 - Jul 2026

Source: BCMS

Figure 2 is a bar chart, showing the percentage and actual change in the dairy herd but age of animals, as of 1 July 2026.

Overall, there has been a 2.2% year-on-year reduction in the dairy herd. Despite this, GB milk volumes have increased 3%, totalling 12,931 million litres in the 12 months ending July 2026. This shows that despite a decrease in the size of the dairy herd, efficiency and productivity improvements have contributed to an increase in production.

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