Livestock shortage: the number of cows decreased in 70 regions of Russia
The number of cattle has decreased in 70 regions of Russia, Izvestia found out. The most noticeable decrease was recorded in Chukotka — by 60%, in the Murmansk region — by 34%, in Adygea — by 30%. The Ministry of Agriculture explains this dynamic by optimizing production and increasing the efficiency of the industry. Farmers and large producers, in turn, talk about declining profitability, increased imports and the spread of animal diseases. The information about the situation in other regions and what can contribute to an increase in production can be found in the Izvestia article.
The number of cattle decreased the most
The most noticeable reduction in the number of cattle was recorded in the northern regions. In Chukotka, it was 60%, in the Murmansk Region — 34%, in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District — 24%, in the Magadan Region — 19.7%, in the Khabarovsk Territory — 15.7%, calculated by Izvestia based on Rosstat data for all categories of farms in June this year.
Among the southern regions, the largest decrease was noted in Adygea — by 30%, in the Rostov region — by 17.4% and in Sevastopol — by 11.6%. In Central Russia, the most significant reduction occurred in the Moscow Region, by 8.3%. In the whole country, the number of cattle among farmers and individual entrepreneurs decreased by 6.5%, and by 4.1% for all categories of farms.
At the same time, in 17 regions, the number of cattle, on the contrary, has increased. The largest increases were recorded in the Smolensk and Orel regions — by 20.3% and 9.7%, respectively. In other regions, the increase did not exceed 2.7%. The situation remained unchanged compared to last year only in the Astrakhan region.
Izvestia sent inquiries to the regions where the most significant reduction and increase in livestock was recorded.
— By the end of 2025, we entered the top ten leaders in agricultural development. At one time, animal husbandry was a niche that was not fully realized, but now we are paying great attention to it. We already have 1 million pig heads, and we set ourselves the task of developing cattle, both meat and dairy," Andrei Klychkov, Governor of the Orel region, told Izvestia.
He also noted that Miratorg is actively working in the region to increase the number of cattle.
"We pay special attention to this and provide support to businesses, because without cattle there is no village whose residents should have stable jobs,— the governor stressed.
The Ministry of Agriculture recognizes the fact of reduction, but does not consider it critical.
— The change in the number of cattle in agricultural organizations is primarily due to the structural restructuring of the livestock industry and an increase in its efficiency. Farms are consistently working to improve genetics, breeding, feed supply and maintenance technologies, which allows them to increase production with fewer livestock, the ministry explained to Izvestia.
Thus, the current dynamics largely reflect the optimization of production processes and the transition to more efficient and environmentally friendly farming models, the agency concludes, pointing to an increase in production indicators.
It is worth noting that in a number of regions there is an increase in the number of cattle. In particular, the most noticeable positive dynamics was noted in all categories of farms in the Smolensk, Vologda, Bryansk, Ryazan, Ivanovo, Tver regions and Udmurtia.
— According to Rosstat, in January–June of this year, the country's agricultural organizations produced 11 million tons of milk, which is 2.2% more than in the same period of 2025. Livestock and poultry production amounted to 6.8 million tons, which is comparable to the level of the first half of 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture reported.
They also pointed out that the Russian meat market remains saturated, and the level of self-sufficiency exceeded 100% last year.
How do manufacturers assess the situation
The number of cattle decreased the most among farmers and individual entrepreneurs — by 6.5%. The manufacturers themselves explain this trend for several reasons at once.
— It is very difficult for small farms to meet the requirements for labeling and working with federal state information systems (FGIS), where they must enter information about animals and production and hire additional staff for this. Low purchase prices and, as a result, reduced profitability are also among the reasons. If, for example, for beef cattle, the cost of purchasing steers for fattening or meat products is interesting for entrepreneurs, then this cannot be said for milk. Farmers sell it almost at the cost level," Olga Bashmachnikova, vice president of the Association of Peasant (Farmer) Farms, explained to Izvestia.
According to her, in order to maintain their profitability, it is more profitable for large milk processors to buy a cheaper dry product, which is imported in large quantities from abroad. The reduction of livestock was also affected by the epizootic factor — animal diseases with pasteurellosis, leukemia, etc. This was especially true in the Siberian regions this spring, she noted.
— All these factors affect the reduction of investments in cattle on small farms. In order to change this situation, we need to develop agricultural consumer cooperation, our own processing and sales channels. Government support measures are also needed to compensate for low purchase prices for milk, especially for small family businesses," the industry representative believes.
However, according to farmers, this trend is unlikely to change next year. In July, the Ministry of Agriculture submitted for public discussion updated rules for granting subsidies in priority areas of agriculture, which should enter into force in 2027. The draft amendments provide for a reduction in the amount of federal subsidies allocated to the regions, as well as the exclusion of a number of areas from the list of support measures. In particular, it is proposed to reduce the total funding limit by 2.5 times — from 35.3 billion rubles in 2026 to 14.3 billion rubles. The most significant reduction will affect tribal support: the amount of funds for this area will decrease by 4.5 billion rubles, or by 60%, compared with the current limit.
The situation in the Rostov region with a decrease in the number of cattle is very difficult to fix, said Alexey Zhdanov, head of the farm, chairman of the Council of the Association of Peasant Farms in the region.
— One of the main reasons is the low price of our products, the production of which is becoming unprofitable. As a result, the region is experiencing a large reduction in the breeding stock of animals in both dairy and meat herds, which are being slaughtered," he explained to Izvestia.
The expert also noted the problems of farmers with electronic labeling systems, a reduction in financial support for cattle producers and an increase in the price of veterinary medicines.
— In the current period, we have recorded a decrease in the number of cattle. This is a systemic process that is largely driven by objective economic factors: first of all, it is an increase in the cost of feed and animal husbandry," Andrei Anikiev, a farmer from the Sverdlovsk region, told Izvestia.
According to him, the cost of production is growing at a faster pace, while the purchase prices for products remain at the same level, which reduces business margins for agricultural producers.
"We are forced to sell our products below cost today," said Kamiyar Baytemirov, head of several large farms in Tatarstan, AKKOR representative. — But, for example, if you are not satisfied with the salary, then you will leave such a job. It's the same with business: if there is no profitability, there is no profitability, the number of livestock is reduced or eliminated altogether.
According to Stanislav Sankeyev, executive director of the People's Farmer Association, cattle producers who are members of the association report several reasons for the decline in dairy livestock.
— The first is the price of raw milk. It is not growing now, but it has decreased by about 15-20% since winter. At the same time, production costs are rising — the cost of equipment, its maintenance, delivery of raw milk to processing plants, feed, and much more," he told Izvestia.
Large holdings also report a reduction in the number of cattle.
— The decision is forced, adaptive in nature. The key factor is expensive capital, which is critical for beef cattle breeding with its three—year production cycle, which is why the development of the herd was stopped for two years, and purchases of third-party livestock were reduced. The epizootic situation, the suspension of seven farms in the border area of the Bryansk region with the disposal of 48 thousand hectares and the pressure of preferential imports also played a role, the press service of the largest beef production holding Miratorg explained to Izvestia.
They noted that over the past two years, the total livestock has decreased by 94 thousand heads, and the breeding stock by 41 thousand heads, or by 18%.
— We are using the released areas for commercial crops — wheat, corn, rapeseed, barley, rye: 190 thousand tons were harvested from 41 thousand hectares in 2025, and 340 thousand tons from 67 thousand hectares are planned for 2026. The economics are obvious: commercial crops generate 25-30 thousand rubles of profit per hectare annually, while beef cattle breeding generates 10-15 thousand rubles per hectare over a three—year cycle, the company said.
At the same time, they stressed that this is not a rejection of the meat sector, but a diversification.
— In 2011-2022, the industry grew steadily. The turning point came in 2023-2025: the actual slaughter volumes from 2022 are noticeably lagging behind the planned growth rates. At the same time, the cost is growing below inflation — production remains efficient, but expensive capital, epizootic risks and preferential imports offset this efficiency, the company noted.
To change the trend, affordable long-term financing is needed, taking into account the long production cycle of the industry, strengthening veterinary protection with compensation for losses to enterprises in border areas, as well as reviewing the conditions for preferential beef imports, undermining the competitiveness of domestic producers, Miratorg believes.
The productivity of animals in milk and meat is getting higher, and this may be the reason for optimizing the livestock, although it is unlikely that it can be increased in six months, said former Deputy Minister of Agriculture Leonid Kholod.
— The main reason for the decrease in livestock is the decrease in demand for cattle products due to falling incomes of the population. This is especially true for milk producers," he believes.
In his opinion, the situation may change with increased demand, which will increase the profitability of such a business.
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