The GB milking herd totalled 1.63 million head as of October 2025, the lowest October number recorded, and a 0.9% decline compared to the same month the previous year.
That’s according to the latest data from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).
The GB herd total stood at 2.51 million head, a year-on-year decline of 1.3%, the board added.
A fall was seen across all age groups with the exceptions of the four to six years-of-age and six to eight years-of-age groups.
The average age of a cow in the GB milking herd now stands at 4.56 years, very slightly older than last year’s figures. Â
Age categories
Looking into the different age categories, AHDB noted mixed performances across the board.
Heifers aged two to four years-of-age recorded the largest decline of 28,000 head, followed by those in the under-two years-of-age category, having seen a decrease of 19,000 head.
This downward trend in the under-two years-of-age category has been seen since October 2022.
However, the four to six years-of-age category saw an increase by 18,000 head compared to previous year. This was mainly driven by the calves born from the youngstock boom of 2021, now ageing up.
Older age groups saw only very marginal changes. Those aged six to eight years-of-age saw a small increase of almost 1,000 head, year-on-year. Those over eight years-of-age declined by 6,000 head.
According to AHDB, despite an overall loss of 0.9% to the milking herd, the record breaking GB milk deliveries denote a move towards greater productivity, as the record milk volumes are a result of higher yields per cow.
With milk prices now falling and commodity prices under pressure, farmers are likely to remove older and underperforming cows over the coming months and take advantage of strong cull cow prices, AHDB said.
