Cattle slaughter increased by 15.2% in 2024 and reached 39.27 million head slaughtered, 5.17 million more head than in 2023. This is the highest result obtained in the time series of the survey. The previous record was in 2013 (34.41 million head). The data are from the complete results of the Livestock Production Statistics for 2024, released today (18) by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). Slaughter of chicken and hogs and pigs also reached records, with 57.86 million head of hogs and pigs, an increase of 1.2% compared to 2023, and 6.46 billion head of chicken, an increase of 2.7% compared to the previous year.

The increased supply of cattle is linked to a high slaughter of females, which reached a record 16.9 million head, an increase of 19.0% compared to 2023, driven by a low phase in the livestock cycle that began in 2022.

The increase in the activity was followed by record exports of fresh beef (2.55 million tonnes), recorded by the Secretariat of Foreign Trade (Secex), and by the stability in the average price per arroba between 2024 and 2023 (Cepea/Esalq). Exports of fresh chicken and pork also reached records in the Secex time series, both in export volume and in revenue in dollars.

“The strengthening of the domestic economy, improved employment and income conditions, and the drop in the unemployment rate that we had in 2024 boosted the domestic demand, contributing to the more robust performance of the sector. International demand for meat also grew significantly. Brazil occupies the top positions in the ranking of meat producing and exporting countries, due to our strict health standards”, explained the survey manager, Angela Lordão.

Increases in cattle slaughter were recorded in 26 of the 27 Federation Units. The most significant increases occurred in: Mato Grosso (+1.14 million head), Minas Gerais (+670.26 thousand head), São Paulo (+558.61 thousand head), Pará (+551.44 thousand head), Goiás (+472.65 thousand head) and Mato Grosso do Sul (+456.87 thousand head). On the other hand, the only recorded drop occurred in Rio Grande do Sul (-153.50 thousand head). Mato Grosso continued to lead the cattle slaughter ranking in 2024, with 18.1% of the national share, followed by Goiás (10.2%) and São Paulo (10.2%).

Slaughter of chicken and hogs and pigs reach records

Chicken slaughter reached 6.46 billion head in 2024, an increase of 2.7% compared to 2023, representing a new record in the time series. An additional 172.73 million head of chicken were slaughtered in 2024, compared to the previous year, with increases in 19 of the 25 Federation Units participating in the survey. Paraná continued to lead the ranking of states in chicken slaughter in 2024, with a 34.2% national share, followed by Santa Catarina (13.8%) and Rio Grande do Sul (11.4%).

According to Angela Lordão, Brazil meets a large domestic and foreign demand for this protein. “We consume around 65% of the country's chicken meat production and the remainder, around 35% of its production, is sent to the foreign market. Brazil, in this case, is the world's largest exporter of this protein”.

Slaughter of hogs and pigs, with 57.86 million head, set a new record in the time series. There were 684.24 thousand more head of pigs in 2024, compared to the previous year, with increases in slaughter in 14 of the 25 FUs participating in the survey. Santa Catarina maintained its leadership in slaughter of hogs and pigs in 2024, with 29.1% of the national slaughter, followed by Paraná (21.5%) and Rio Grande do Sul (17.1%).

“For pig farming, Brazil has opened and expanded markets, such as the Philippines, reducing dependence on foreign imports from China. It was a good year for pig farming, with better margins for producers. Meat prices rose, and feed costs were lower,” pointed out the survey manager.

Slaughter of cattle, chicken and hogs and pigs fall in the quarter but increase in the year

After a record cattle slaughter in the 3rd quarter of 2024, surpassing the mark of 10 million head slaughtered, in the 4th quarter of 2024, there was a drop of 7.9% compared to the previous quarter, and an increase of 4.4% compared to the same quarter of 2023. Chicken slaughter, in the 4th quarter of 2024, registered a drop of 1.1% compared to the 3rd quarter of 2024 and an increase of 5.5% compared to the same period in 2023. Pig slaughter, in the 4th quarter of 2024, represented a drop of 4.6% compared to the 3rd quarter of 2024 and an increase of 0.9% compared to the same period in 2023.

Production of hen eggs hits record

The production of hen eggs in 2024 was 4.67 billion dozen, an increase of 10.0% compared to the previous year. The total annual production is a record in the time series of the survey, the only annual drop in production occurred in 1996, according to the time series that began in 1987. More than half of the farms, 1,136 (53.7%), produced eggs for consumption, accounting for 82.1% of the total eggs produced, while 979 farms (46.3%) produced eggs for incubation, accounting for 17.9% of the total eggs produced.

In the 4th quarter of 2024, hen egg production reached 1.2 billion dozen, corresponding to an increase of 12.4% compared to the amount recorded in the same quarter of 2023 and growth of 0.2% over that recorded in the previous quarter. The 4th quarter of 2024 presented the highest production of the year, compared to previous periods, and was also the highest amount ever estimated by the survey.

Milk acquisition ranks second in the time series

In 2024, dairy farms operating under some type of sanitary inspection service collected 25.38 billion liters, an increase of 3.1% over the amount recorded in 2023. The year 2024 is the second year of growth in milk acquisition, after going through two years of consecutive declines. This year's acquisition ranks second in the time series, being the highest since the record of 25.64 billion liters of milk observed in 2020.

Considering production throughout 2024, the average price per liter of milk acquired was R$2.61, an increase of 7% compared to the average acquisition price in 2023 (R$2.44). In addition to the price growth during the period, dairy products recorded an even greater increase between the fourth quarters of 2023 and 2024, in the order of 31.4%, rising from R$2.10 to R$2.76, respectively.

"We had a year marked by adverse weather conditions. There was severe drought and fires in parts of the country, which caused a drop in production in some states, in addition to floods in Rio Grande do Sul, which caused losses in production. However, at the same time, we had positive highlights, such as Minas Gerais and Paraná. It was the second year of recovery in milk acquisition, after 2 years of consecutive drops, and the second largest acquisition in the time series since the record in 2020. The increase in milk prices also contributed to the profitability of the activity", explained survey manager Angela Lordão.

In 2024, the tanneries surveyed by the Quarterly Survey of Leather reported having received 40.08 million whole pieces of rawhide. This amount was 16.8% higher than that recorded in the previous year, and the month with the greatest change was April (+32.4%). In the 4th quarter of 2024, the tanneries reported having received 9.95 million whole pieces of rawhide.

More about the Quarterly Survey of Animal Slaughter 

The IBGE conducts quarterly official statistical surveys on the agriculture, namely the Quarterly Survey of Animal Slaughter, the Quarterly Survey of Milk, the Quarterly Survey of Leather and the Hen Egg Production Survey. The surveys are conducted quarterly, and for each quarter of the calendar year the data is broken down month by month.

Starting in the first quarter of 2018, in response to user requests for faster access to information on the livestock sector, the "First Results" of these surveys were released for Brazil on a provisional basis. They are available approximately one month before the release of the "Complete Results". The complete data can be found on Sidra. The next release, regarding the results for the first quarter of 2025, will be on June 11.