UKs cattle herd dips 2.5% to 10.3 million

THE full results of the EU's cattle census for the year to June are not yet available, but the provisional numbers indicate another decline.

The figures for the UK as collated by Eurostat reveal a decline of 1.2 per cent in the number of dairy cows, with the national herd now standing at 1.96 million. Not so long ago that figure was substantially bigger than two million cows.

The UK suckler herd, which produces high-quality beef, also fell by just short of 2 per cent, to 1.69 million. The total cattle herd fell by 2.5 per cent to 10.3 million head.