Defra’s June survey shows UK beef and sheep populations at historic lows

Recently released figures from Defra show that UK cattle herd declined by 1.5% year-on-year to sit at a total of 9.41 million head at 1 June 2024. This continues the long-term trend of reducing cattle numbers, with almost all groups seeing annual declines. The beef female breeding herd (aged 2 years or more) sat at 1.34 million head at 1 June 2024, down 4.5% (62,500 head) year-on-year. Reduction in the female breeding herd was entirely driven by a decline in the beef herd, whilst dairy cow numbers remained flat on the year. This is the greatest annual reduction seen in the beef breeding cows category in at least the last 20 years, and points to a continued contraction in suckler-bred cattle supply going forward. Source: Defra Delving into the splits by country, the steepest contraction was seen in the Welsh cattle herd, down 2.4% year-on-year. Conversely, the Northern Irish cattle herd was stable, although high cattle kill in the region over the autumn months may lead to a ...