The milking herd in Britain has hit another lowest number record as of April 2026, according to the British Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).

The month of April recorded a 2% decline compared to the same month in 2025, with the milking herd standing at 1.59 million head.

The total dairy herd stood at 2.46 million head, a year-on-year decline of 2%.

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The average age of a cow in the milking herd in Britain currently stands at 4.56 years, slightly older than last year’s figures.

Age categories

Decreases were observed across all age groups, except in the four- to six-year-old age group.

  • Cows aged between two and four years continued to record the largest reduction of nearly 31,000 head year-on-year.
  • Dairy stock aged under two years fell by nearly 20,000 head. This downward trend in young stock has continued for the last three years.
  • Cows aged six to eight years witnessed the smallest drop of 3,000 head since April 2025.
  • Cows over eight years old saw a decline of 5,000 head.
  • Cows aged four to six years old is the only category that continued the increase, with a jump of 7,000 head compared to the previous year, due to a young stock boom in 2021.

    • Record milk volumes

    Last year, record milk volumes were seen in Britain despite an overall reduction in the milking herd.

    This displays a move towards greater productivity due to higher yields per cow.

    Declining young stock numbers are a significant concern for the sector as fewer heifers are available to replace older cows.

    With milk prices and cull cow prices under pressure, farmers may face challenges to replace older cows due to availability and costs going forward, the AHDB warned.