Scotland’s cattle herd hits lowest in more than a decade

Falling cattle numbers in Scotland have prompted urgent calls for support for the domestic beef sector.

Total female beef cattle numbers dropped below 600,000 head for the first time since records began more than a decade ago and were down by 2.2% on the year.

Overall cattle numbers, including youngstock, also declined to its lowest level for more than 10 years, to stand at 1.57m head in 2024.

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This represents a fall of 1.4% on year earlier levels, according to the latest Scottish agricultural census.

The Scottish Conservatives have called for more direct support from the devolved government to support livestock farmers, and for more clarity on future farming policy.

Shadow rural secretary Tim Eagle said: “The continued decline in beef cattle numbers is hugely concerning and underlines the difficulty our farmers face in maintaining the numbers needed for their businesses to survive.

“The decline in Scotland is not just an issue for our rural communities but it also poses a threat to our nation’s food security.”

Mr Eagle added: “Most of all, these figures show the need for targeted support, both directly and indirectly from Scotland’s governments, to safeguard the very future of our farming industry.”

NBA concerns over suckler herd size

The National Beef Association (NBA) raised concerns around the impact policy was having on the size of the suckler herd in Scotland.

NBA chief executive Neil Shand said the reduction in cattle numbers seem to have picked up since the UK left the EU.

“Long term stability of funding has disappeared; we have got no real policy yet in Scotland,” he said.

Mr Shand added that policy in England was also having an impact on numbers.

“The current government gave us a two-year budget, which is wholly unacceptable in agriculture.

“We are used to a minimum of seven-year budgets, which gives people confidence and commitment to invest and plan for the future.”

NFU Scotland vice-president Robert Neill said: “A reduction in cattle herd is undoubtedly concerning and is a clear reflection of the sustained pressure placed on our farmers and crofters. Increased input costs, market volatility, labour shortages, among other factors, have all resulted in a recent fall in calf numbers.

“While we know many of our members plan to increase suckler production going forward, increased government support must be ensured for this to be financially viable.”

Maintaining numbers

Funding through the Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme has offered some financial support to farmers.

However, the scheme has also faced some criticism from industry due to the need to hit environmental targets, such as shorter calving intervals, in order to be eligible.

Quality Meat Scotland has launched an online “support hub” to try to build confidence in the Scottish beef sector.

The red meat levy board’s chair, Kate Rowell, said: “With demand for home-grown beef on the rise, and local processing infrastructure well equipped to support, Scotland is well placed to feed our growing nation – but only if we take action now.

“Our goal is to increase Scotland’s beef production by adding a couple more cows per herd each year.”

Sarah Millar, chief executive of QMS, added: “The latest figures from the Scottish government underline the pressing need to reverse the decline in Scotland’s cattle herd we and partners continue to highlight. This is not just a statistic – it’s a critical challenge for our industry, economy and national food security.

“At QMS, we’ve been clear that growing Scotland’s herd is an attainable and essential goal.

“Our latest economic modelling shows that the UK needs an additional 278,000 tonnes of beef on top of what it is projected to produce by 2030 to meet growing domestic demand – a gap that, without action, could only be filled by imports.

“Scotland’s share of this opportunity is significant: producing an additional 22,000 tonnes of beef, which means we need around 79,000 more breeding cows over the next few years.”