The overall cattle population in Britain is continuing to contract - standing at 7.5 million head, 153,000 head below last year levels.
The beef breeding herd is declining at a faster rate than the dairy breeding herd, according to new analysis published by AHDB.
The latest figures show that the total GB cattle population stood at 7.5m head, a 2% decrease from January 2024.
The shrinking beef herd is mostly responsible for this level of contraction, the levy organisation says.
"The most recent update of data shows a continuation of many of the trends we have seen over the last ten years," said Grace Bolton, AHDB analyst.
"These include; the decline in overall cattle numbers, an increased proportion of dairy beef, and a marked reduction in the number of dairy bull calves born in Britain."
The beef breeding herd - females over 30 months - showed a 4% drop in numbers compared to the same time last year.
Conversely, the dairy breeding herd only demonstrated a 0.2% (3,000 head) decrease in numbers compared to year earlier levels.
Looking at the number of animals available for beef production, the largest year-on-year contraction was in the 6–12-month age group, down 4% year on year.
This reflects the lower registrations seen throughout last year, according to AHDB's analysis.
Meanwhile, there has been a slight uptick in the 0–6-month age group, compared to year earlier volumes.
This is due to higher registrations in August 2024 after low 2023 registrations, indicating a return to the norm rather than a significant increase in calves on the ground.
Ms Bolton said: "When these lower populations feed through the system, we can expect greater pressure to be placed on supply, supporting prices in the coming years as long as demand remains consistent."
Turning to calf registrations, alongside showing a 2% (47,000 head) overall reduction in registrations, the full year 2024 dataset illustrates further shifts in the types of cattle on the market.
Suckler beef registrations continue to decline, falling by 5% in 2024 compared to 2023, but beef calf registrations to dairy dams rose by 4.1% on the year in 2024.
"Registrations of dairy male calves were once again down significantly (by -13%) indicating changing industry practices such as the greater utilisation of sexed-semen and beef sires in the dairy herd.
"As a result of this trend, dairy beef continues to make up a growing proportion of the UK beef supply," Ms Bolton said.
