Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of dairy cows in England in each of the last 10 years.
Answer
Mr Paice: The number of dairy cows in England for each of the last 10 years is shown in the following table. This is just one element of the structural changes that have taken place in the sector. The long-term trend in dairy production is towards fewer, larger and more productive herds. The table also shows how the decline in the number of dairy cows has been offset by an increase in average herd size and milk yields. So while the number of dairy cows, in England has fallen by 20% between2001 and 2010, the level of milk production (at the UK level) has only fallen by 5%.Dairy cows and milk production 2001-2010
| Number of dairy cows in England (thousand) | UK milk production (million litres)³ | Average UK milk yield (litres per cow per year) | ||
| Number¹ | Number² | |||
| 2001 | — | 1,490 | 14,284 | 6,346 |
| 2002 | — | 1,462 | 14,440 | 6,493 |
| 2003 | — | 1,435 | 14,576 | 6,621 |
| 2004 | — | 1,374 | 14,127 | 6,763 |
| 2005 | — | 1,311 | 14,052 | 6,986 |
| 2006 | 1,259 | 1,290 | 13,902 | 6,977 |
| 2007 | 1,236 | — | 13,619 | 6,913 |
| 2008 | 1,199 | — | 13,319 | 6,943 |
| 2009 | 1,163 | — | 13,197 | 7,068 |
| 2010 | 1 160 | — | 13,533 | 7,301 |
| Percentage change between 2001 and 20104 | -20 | — | -5 | +15 |
| ¹ Sourced from Cattle Tracing System (CTS), Dairy cows are defined as female dairy cows aged two years and over with offspring. | ||||
| ² Sourced from June Survey. | ||||
| ³ Sourced from DEFRA and RPA statistics. | ||||
| 4 Allows for the break in series in 2006 with the switch to the CTS. |