So Ukrainians were sitting on cheap fossil energy too. And we thought that fertile land would pull them out. Mass farm closures expected in Ukraine

“The number of cows is already gradually being reduced in Ukraine, while cattle exports abroad are increasing. Dairy farms are operating at a loss and will begin to close en masse closer to summer, and in the fall the situation in the industry may become critical.

 

This is what Olena Župinas, Deputy General Director of the Milk Producers Association, told UNIAN.

 

“We will see a mass reduction in the number of livestock and farm closures in May-June, when the 2025 feed will run out. With such a high cost of field work in 2026, farmers will decide not to sow fodder crops, but to reduce the herd,” O. Župinas told UNIAN.

 

So far, the number of dairy farms has not decreased significantly, because farmers continue to use old feed stocks.

 

“Currently, the situation in the industry remains the same as it was at the end of February, before the war in Iran began. However, in the fall, the situation in milk production may become critical,” the expert notes.

 

Milk producers will feel the impact of the rising prices for energy resources and fertilizers due to D. Trump’s war in the Middle East in about a month.

 

“If we take into account the current prices for feed, which were grown when diesel was twice as cheap and fertilizers were much cheaper, the price of milk from farms does not cover its production costs. It will increase by at least 20-25 percent,” predicts V. Župinas.”