There are around 40,000 fewer cows in the British milking herd than there were a year ago, according to recent figures form the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS).

The British milking herd was 2% smaller as of 31 October 2018, and the drop in numbers has been attributed to a decreased numbers of younger cows entering the herd.

Analysing the data, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) noted there were 25,000 fewer head of cattle in the two to three-year age group when compared with the same time last year. This decrease accounts for 62% of the overall drop in numbers.

With a shift towards beef semen in 2015, lower numbers of youngstock have been available. However, this was expected to have been offset by higher retention rates within the rest of the milking herd, which has subsequently not been the case. AHDB notes that this drop in retention rates of cows aged three to eight is responsible for the decrease of 12,000 animals out of the remaining 15,000.