The number of cows decreased by 8% over the year in Mykolaiv region

Cows on a farm in Lotskine. Illustrative photo: NikVesti

In the Mykolaiv region, the number of cattle in both the private and industrial sectors decreased by 11.3% over the year. Farmers attribute this to increased production costs, primarily due to power outages and unfavourable weather conditions.

This is evidenced by data from the Main Statistical Office in the Mykolaiv region, according to NikVesti.

It is noted that as of 1 February 2025, there were 54,900 head of cattle in the region, of which 31,800 were cows. In January 2026, the number of cattle decreased to 48,700, which is 11.3% less than previous figures. The largest decline was in the number of cows, which fell to 29,500, a decrease of approximately 8%.

The number of farm animals in the Mykolaiv region as of 1 January 2026. Photo: State Statistics Service in the Mykolaiv region

The number of sheep and goats also decreased — from 35,400 at the beginning of 2025 to 33,700 in January 2026.

At the same time, there was a slight increase in the number of pigs — from 68,100 to 68,600 — and poultry — from 1,428,000 to 1,500,000.

The Association of Milk Producers notes that this situation is typical for most regions of Ukraine, which are suffering from the consequences of the war and constant power outages. Prices and production volumes are also affected by the crisis in the global dairy market, unfavourable weather conditions (prolonged droughts in summer and severe frosts in winter), electricity shortages and rising animal husbandry costs against the backdrop of the war.

In total, in 2025, the Mykolaiv region produced about 738,000 centners of milk, 59,406,000 eggs and 81,000 centners of meat from slaughtered animals. The largest amount of products was produced in the Pervomaisk district — 67% of meat and 86% of milk came from there.

The amount of animal products produced in 2025 by district. Photo: State Statistics Service in the Mykolaiv region

Earlier, NikVesti reported that in 2025, farmers in the Mykolaiv region produced less agricultural products than a year earlier. The overall indicator fell to 86%, with the largest decline recorded in crop production.