Cattle imports are helping Canadians rebuild a depleted national herd.
The Canadian cattle inventory was 11.1 million head, both cattle and calves, as of Jan. 1, an increase of 2.5 per cent from last year, according to newly released government data.
It was the first year-on-year increase since 2018, attributable to a significant degree to a 42.7 per cent increase in imports of calves in the second half 2025, totalling about 368,000 head.
The number of beef heifers for breeding increased by 4.8 per cent and of cows by 1.9 per cent.
Cattle and calf slaughter was down 6.5 per cent to 1.6 million head. Live exports fell 8.9 per cent to 361,300 head.
The turnaround in the Canadian herd comes as U.S. cattle supplies remain very tight amid unusually slow heifer retention for the bottom of the cattle cycle.
