Market-oriented skilled agricultural and animal husbandry workers

How to become a livestock and dairy producer

Official title: Livestock and dairy producers

Also called: Cattle farmer, Dairy farmer, Dog breeder, Drover, Goat farmer, Horse breeder, Shearer, Sheep farmer, Shepherd, Stockman/woman

Livestock and dairy producers plan, organize and perform farming operations to breed and raise domesticated animals (excluding poultry), such as cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, horses and camels, for the production of meat, milk and other dairy products, skins and wool or for use as working, sporting or recreational animals, for sale or delivery to wholesale buyers, marketing organizations or at markets.

Main tasks

Monitoring market activity and conditions, determining kinds and amounts of stock to produce, and planning and coordinating production accordingly
Cultivating pastures and providing and monitoring fodder and water supplies to maintain appropriate nutritional levels and condition of livestock
Monitoring and examining animals to detect illness, injury or disease, and to check physical condition such as rate of weight gain
Grooming, marking, clipping, trimming, drenching and/or castrating animals, and shearing coats to collect hair or wool
Herding livestock to pastures for grazing or to scales, sheds, vehicles or other enclosures
Milking animals by hand or using milking machines
Mixing feed, additives and medicines in prescribed portions and distributing or hand-feeding to animals for consumption
Performing duties related to livestock reproduction, such as breeding, artificial insemination and helping with animal births
Maintaining and cleaning farm buildings, machinery, equipment and structures
Slaughtering and skinning animals and preparing them for market

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: HK$15,500 a month
About 387,500 people in 2025, and about 403,200 projected by 2028. (+4.1%)
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Questions people ask

Do you need a degree to become a livestock and dairy producer?

Usually not. Only 6% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a livestock and dairy producer?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Census and Statistics Department (2021 Population Census): 2021 Population Census, Interactive Data Dissemination Service: working population by occupation (38 groups) and sex, age, education, income; median income and field of education (9 groups) (2021 Population Census), retrieved 4 October 2026
Census and Statistics Department (General Household Survey): Median monthly employment earnings by occupation (9 groups), excluding foreign domestic helpers (Table 210-06317A); employed persons by occupation, age and sex (210-06307A) and by industry (210-06308A) (2025 annual (series to 2026-07)), retrieved 4 October 2026
Labour and Welfare Bureau; tables published by C&SD: Mid-term Update of Manpower Projection to 2028: supplementary statistical tables (5 occupation groups, 17 selected industries) (2025 to 2028 (published 2026-09)), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026