It will not be possible to cover the decline in the number of cattle in Russia by increasing productivity for a long time - Dairy Union of Russia

Lyudmila Manitskaya said that the number of cattle in RUSSIA is declining every year. Over the past 10 years, the total herd has decreased from 19.7 million heads in 2012 to 17.5 million heads in 2022. The annual decline is 200-300 thousand heads. The milking stock is reduced every year by 100 thousand heads. In 2012, there were 8.7 million heads in Russia, in 2022 - already 7.7 million.

“The recession cannot be overcome. This is a systemic problem that has many causes, among them - the constant rise in the cost of feed, energy tariffs, overregulation, and so on. We understand that dairy farming is a capital intensive businesswith a long production cycle, long payback periods and unstable profitability. Animal husbandry needs a whole range of support measures,” said Lyudmila Manitskaya.

She explained that the decrease in the number of livestock has been compensated for by the increase in the productivity of animals, but it will not be possible to cover the loss of livestock for a long time only due to productivity. Comparative statistics show that, for example, in the usa one cow produces 11 thousand kg of MILK per year, in Germany - 8500 kg, in Russia on average - 4200 kg, and in agricultural organizations - 5900 kg.

“The regions that have crossed the mark of 8,000 kg include Vladimir, Kaluga, Ryazan, Vologda regions and the Krasnodar Territory. The undisputed leader is the Leningrad region, which has crossed the mark of 9 thousand kg per cow,” the expert summed up.