Number of Swiss dairy cows hits record low

Less cows does not necessarily mean less milk, owing to efficiency improvements. © Keystone / Gaetan Bally

Switzerland's dairy cow population is at an all-time low. In July, there were 514,496 dairy cows in Switzerland, down 11,000 from last year, the Agricultural Information Service (LID) reported on Friday.

Although the industry is accustomed to a decline, the herds have remained relatively stable over the past four years, according to LID.

Milk producers put the decline down mainly to increased production costs due to war, inflation and the effects of the pandemic. In addition, the 2022 feed year was poor, Reto Burkhart, head of communications for the Swiss Milk Producers (SMP) told LID.

Fewer dairy cows do not necessarily mean less milk, however. Despite the significant decline in cows, milk production in the first half of the year was even slightly up on the previous year, according to SMP figures. This is due to efficiency improvements, for example through automated stalls.

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