Livestock
Slaughter of pigs and hogs and egg and milk production boost in 2019
March 19, 2020 09h00 AM | Last Updated: March 20, 2020 09h16 AM
The livestock sector in 2019 was marked by records in the slaughter of pigs and hogs and in the production of eggs, driven by the Chinese demand, as a result of the effects of African swine fever. The slaughter of pigs and hogs reached 46.33 million head, an increase of 4.5% compared to 2018, with rise in 20 of the 25 states surveyed, while egg production reached 3.83 billion dozen in 2019, an increase of 6.3% in relation to the previous year, with growth in 21 of the 26 states. Another record was the production of milk, which reached 25.01 billion liters, up 2.3% over the amount registered in 2018.
The data are from the Livestock Production Statistics, which the IBGE releases today (19). The survey also shows that cattle slaughter grew 1.2%, totaling 32.44 million head, with expansion in 15 of the 27 states. Chicken slaughter, in turn, grew 1.9% to 5.81 billion head, after two consecutive years of decline in the annual comparison. The increases in chicken slaughter were recorded in 15 of the 25 states surveyed.
On the other hand, tanneries fell by 5% when registering 33.34 million whole pieces of rawhide, with a decrease in 11 of the 20 states that have at least one active tannery.
“Increases in pig and hog exports have been recorded due to the African swine fever in China. At the end of the year, there was also an increase in beef exports, reaching 22% of what was produced. China imported not only pigs and hogs, but also more cattle and chicken. In the domestic market, with the increase in beef prices, due to the growth in exports, there was a demand for other proteins, such as eggs, which set a new record ”, analyzes the supervisor of livestock research at IBGE, Bernardo Viscardi.
Quarterly data
In the 4th quarter of 2019, cattle slaughter fell 1.4% and hog and pig and chicken slaughter rose 6.2% and 3.8%, respectively, in the last quarter of 2019, compared to the same period of the previous year. In relation to the third quarter of 2019, the slaughter of cattle decreased by 5%, that of chickens changes by -0.1% and that of pigs rose by 1.2%.
In the last quarter last year, 8.07 million cattle head were slaughtered, with a total production of 2.09 million metric tons of carcasses, an increase of 0.9% compared to the same period in 2018, however, 4.8% below the quantity measured in the third quarter of 2019. Considering the time series started in 1997, this is the second-best result for a fourth quarter since 2013, when 2.20 million metric tons of bovine carcasses were produced.
Pigs and hogs
The slaughter of pigs and hogs reached 11.89 million head, an increase of 6.2% in relation to the same period in 2018 and 1.2% in comparison with the 3rd quarter of 2019, in the best result for the quarter, thus determining a new record for the time series started in 1997. The cumulative weight of carcasses was 1.06 million metric tons in the 4th quarter of 2019, with increases of 7.9% in relation to the same period in 2018 and stability (0, 1%) compared to the 3rd quarter of 2019.
Chickens
Chicken slaughter reached 1.47 billion head, an increase of 3.8% in the 4th quarter of 2019, compared to the same period in 2018 and a stable situation (-0.1) in comparison with the 3rd quarter of 2019. In a monthly comparison within the time series, the best result was recorded for the month of October. The cumulative weight of carcasses was 3.40 million metric tons in the 4th quarter of 2019, an increase of 1.9% in relation to the same period in 2019 and a decrease of 1.5% in comparison with the 3rd quarter of last year.
Milk and eggs
The acquisition of raw milk by establishments that operate under municipal, state or federal health inspection was 6.65 billion liters, equivalent to a 0.9% reduction compared to the 4th quarter of 2018, and an increase 5.6% compared to the previous quarter. Considering the time series, this is the second largest cumulative collection of milk in a 4th quarter, surpassed only by the total registered in the equivalent period of the previous year.
The production of hen eggs was the highest ever achieved, reaching 985.69 million dozen in the 4th quarter of 2019. This number was 1.4% higher than that recorded in the previous quarter and 4.7% higher than that recorded in the 4th quarter of 2018.
Leather
The survey also shows that tanneries with at least 5,000 whole rawhide units received 7.89 million pieces in the fourth quarter last year. This total represents reductions of 12.4% compared to the same period in 2018 and 8.1% compared to the 3rd quarter of 2019.
