Quarterly Livestock Surveys
In 2023, cattle slaughter grows and slaughter of hogs, pigs and chicken hits record
March 14, 2024 09h00 AM | Last Updated: March 15, 2024 05h10 PM
Cattle slaughter grows and reaches the second highest result in the series, only behind 2013's result - Photo: Licia Rubinstein/IBGE News Agency
Cattle slaughter continued to grow in 2023 and reached 34.06 million head, an increase of 13.7% compared to 2022, continuing the growth trend seen in the previous year. In terms of slaughtered head, this is the second highest result in the history of the survey series, only behind the 2013 record. However, the production of 8.95 million tonnes of carcasses was a record. The slaughter of chicken and hogs and pigs reached records in their series, totaling 6.28 billion and 57.17 million head, respectively. These pieces of information come from Livestock Production Statistics, released today (14) by the IBGE.
“The increase in the activity was followed by record exports of fresh beef (2.01 million tonnes), recorded by the time series of the Secretariat of Foreign Trade (Secex), and by the 19.8% drop in the average arroba price (Cepea/Esalq)”, explains survey analyst Bernardo Viscardi.
In the fourth quarter, 9.15 million cattle head were slaughtered, an increase of 21.3% in the annual comparison and 1.8% compared to the previous quarter.
The numbers also show that chicken slaughter reached a record in the time series, with 6.28 billion head, an increase of 2.8% compared to 2022, surpassing the record reached in 2021. In the last quarter, with 1.53 billion chicken head slaughtered, there was a drop of 2.2% compared to the same period in 2022 and 3.2% compared to the third quarter of 2023.
Meanwhile, the number of hogs and pigs slaughtered in 2023 was 57.17 million, exceeding the 2022 result by 1.3% and hiting another record in the time series. In the 4th quarter, 14.15 million head were slaughtered, an increase of 1.1% compared to the same period in 2022 and a drop of 3.4% compared to the 3rd quarter of 2023.
In 2023, Mato Grosso continued to lead the ranking of FUs in cattle slaughter, with 17.4% of the national participation, followed by Goiás (10.4%) and São Paulo (10.1%). In terms of chicken slaughter, Paraná continued to lead the way, with a 34.3% share, followed by Santa Catarina (13.4%) and Rio Grande do Sul (12.5%). For hogs and pigs, Santa Catarina maintained the leadership, with 29.5% of the national slaughter, followed by Paraná (21.2%) and Rio Grande do Sul (17.0%).
Hen egg production in 2023 hits record in time series
The production of hen eggs in 2023 was 4.21 billion dozen, an increase of 2.7% compared to the previous year, recording the highest value in the survey's time series.
“Despite the drop in average meat prices for the final consumer, eggs still constitute a very affordable source in comparative terms. Furthermore, the growth of the broiler sector directly influences the production of eggs for hatching”, explained Bernardo Viscardi, survey supervisor.
In the 4th quarter, production was 1.05 billion dozen, corresponding to an increase of 0.5% in relation to the quantity in the same quarter of 2022 and a drop of 1.9% over that recorded in the previous quarter.
The tanneries investigated by the Quarterly Leather Survey – those that tan at least 5,000 whole units of bovine rawhide per year – declared having received 34.40 million whole pieces of bovine rawhide in 2023. This quantity was 11.7% higher than that recorded in the previous year. In the 4th quarter, 9.17 million whole pieces of leather were registered, an increase of 17.7% compared to the same period in 2022 and 2.6% compared to the previous quarter.
Meanwhile, dairy products operating under some type of health inspection service captured, in 2023, 24.52 billion liters, equivalent to an increase of 2.5% over the quantity recorded in 2022. The year 2023 resumes growth in milk production, after two years of consecutive drops in acquisition by industries. However, this year's production is still lower than the record of 25.64 billion liters of milk observed in 2020. In the fourth quarter, production was 6.46 billion liters, an increase of 2.2% compared to the 4th quarter of 2022 and also an increase of 2.6% compared to the previous quarter.
More about the Quarterly Animal Slaughter Survey
The survey provides information on the total number of slaughtered head and the total weight of carcasses for bovine species (bulls, cows, steers and heifers), hogs, pigs and chickens, with the collection unit being the establishment that carries out the slaughter under federal, state or municipal sanitary surveillance. The periodicity of the survey is quarterly, and for each quarter of the calendar year data are specified month by month.
From the first quarter of 2018 on, the "First Results" started being published, to meet users' demands for timely information on the livestock situation, on a provisional basis and for the geography level of Brazil. The first results are available about a month before the “Full Results” are released. Complete data can be consulted on Sidra. The next release, referring to the 1st quarter of 2024, will be on June 6th.
