Numbers of cattle on the ground in England continue to shrink, according to the latest data from Defra, with declines seen in nearly all cattle groupings.
According to Defra's June survey, the number of cattle and calves in England decreased by a further 2% year-on-year to 5.1 million.
The number of dairy cows fell by 1% to 1.1 million, with suckler cow numbers showing a greater rate of decline, falling by over 3% to 665,000.
This brought the total female breeding herd to stand at 1.8 million animals, 2% smaller than a year ago.
Looking at the figures, Hannah Clarke, AHDB analyst for livestock, said: "This follows longer-term trends for cow numbers, although does suggest that the dairy herd decline is levelling off.
"Looking at other cattle, the largest declines were seen in the population of animals aged 2 years and over."
The number of animals aged between 1-2 years posted more modest declines, Defra's figures show.
For females, this was largely driven by fewer beef animals, as numbers of dairy youngstock increased.
On the other hand, the population of cattle aged under 1 year old increased in size, largely driven by increased numbers of dairy females. Beef females recorded a more modest increase.
Ms Clarke said: "We await full UK data for a fuller picture, but there is nothing in the English data to suggest a strong recovery in prime beef production next year, but instead, rather more dairy replacements coming through."
