According to data provided by the Dairy Union, there were 20.6 million heads of dairy cows in Russia in the beginning of the 1990s, 7.9 million heads in 2020, and 7.8 in 2021. “It is a historical minimum. Every year, out of recent ones, we arrive at being 100.000 heads short,” said Lyudmila Manitskaya.
The size of cattle herds in Russia has also been declining. In the early 90s the total number of cattle was 57 million heads, which reduced to 18 million heads by 2020. In 2021 it decreased to 17.7 million heads. “And, unfortunately, this is again a historical minimum,” outlined the expert.
According to her, the decline in number of cattle is caused, among other reasons, by the rise in feed prices and energy tariffs, regulatory enhancement, and investment challenges (up to reorientation to crop production).
