The Value of the Cull Cow to Dairy Businesses – Is She Covering Her Costs?

With milk margins under pressure and beef prices remaining strong, every cow must justify her place in the herd. Animals that are infertile, underperforming, or carrying recurring health issues can quickly diminish financial returns. A disciplined culling policy protects cash flow and ensures the herd is built around cows that are genuinely contributing to margin, not just occupying space.

We may not be seeing the extreme highs of May 2025 where cows realised 568p/kg in Scotland, but at a Scottish average of 526p/kg, cull cows are still well ahead of the 300 to 400p/kg prices that were seen in previous years. The Borderway Mart in Carlisle has reported prices of £1,500 - £1,900/head, for Holstein cull cows. Heavier Holsteins (£850kg+) have been fetching between £2,000 and £2,500 in February, with similar trends seen at Lanark.

With the average milk price of 32.70 pence per litre in Scotland, the cheque for a cull cow is equivalent to that for 5,200 litres of milk (assuming an average price of £1,700 per cull). This is almost 61% of a cow’s annual milk production for the average herd. In many cases, the immediate financial return from a culled animal rivals several months of milk income, without the additional costs of feed, vet and med, and labour.

Strong beef prices are underpinned by reduced UK cattle numbers, but dairy cull beef benefits from additional drivers:

• Increased consumer demand for leaner meat
• Lower carbon footprint relative to prime beef