In 2012, 31.118 million cattle head were slaughtered, accounting for an increase of 8.0% in relation to 2011 and a new record in the time series of cattle slaughter per year.  The previous record - since 1997 when the Quarterly Survey of Animal Slaughter was launched - was in 2007, when 30.713 million cattle head were slaughtered.  The national and international price reduction and the rise in the exports of meat contributed to the increased supply of the product.

In the cumulative index of 2012, 35.980 million pigs and hogs were slaughtered, a growth of 3.2% in relation to 2011. The annual series reveals an uninterrupted rise of this activity since 2005. The cumulative weight of pigs’/hogs’ carcasses in 2012 reached 3.465 million metric tons, representing a 2.8% rise in relation to the previous year. 

On the other hand, chicken slaughter, accounting for 5.238 billion animals, represented a 0.9% reduction over the volume registered in 2011. The cumulative carcass weight of chicken, in 2012, reached 11.533 million metric tons, an expansion of 0.9% in relation to the previous year. 

Milk purchase in the year totaled 22.338 billion liters, rising 2.5% over 2011;  milk industrialization posted an increase of 2.6% in the comparison between 2011 and 2012.

In 2012, 35.194 million of whole cattle hides were purchased, representing a growth of 3.6% over 2011 and registering substantial rises in Santa Catarina (33.9%), Rondônia (21.5%), Paraná (20.2%) and Mato Grosso (16.2%). 

The production of hen eggs in 2012 (2.689.451 thousand dozens) also increased in relation to 2011 (4.8%), while the number of hens, 499.855 thousand head in the last day of the year, grew 3,9%.

This and further information can be seen in the results of the Quarterly Surveys of Animal Slaughter and Production of Milk, Leather and Eggs (Q4 and the cumulative index in the year of 2012). The complete publication is available at https://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/indicadores/agropecuaria/producaoagropecuaria/default.shtm

In 2012, the Northeast was the only region to record decrease in cattle slaughter:  -0.3%

In the cumulative index of 2012, the Northeast Region was the only Brazilian region that posted a reduction (-0.3%) in the quantity of cattle slaughtered, mostly because of  Pernambuco and Ceará, which slaughtered respectively 98,033 (-24.5%) and 36,173 (-11.5%) less than in 2011. Pushed by the increase of the amount of cattle slaughtered in Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul and Goiás, in 2012 (1,478,281 more cattle head than in 2011), the Central-West region presented a rise in the national contribution (from 36.5% to 38.5%), whereas the others had losses, including those with a rise in the quantity of animals slaughtered:  the North (+ 220,072), Southeast (+ 413,799) and South Regions (+ 191,621).

Part of the rise in cattle slaughter in the Central-West region can be explained by the increases in the quantity of fresh meat exported by the three states of the region.

The cumulative carcass weight in 2012 was proportional to cattle slaughter, achieving a new record of 7.351 million metric tons and an increase of 8.4% against the cumulative index of 2011. The previous record was hit in 2007, with 7.049 million metric tons of cattle carcasses.

Chicken slaughter drops for the second time in ten years

Chicken slaughter reduced 0.9% in the comparison between 2012/2011. The negative result meant, for the second time in ten years, a reduction in the slaughtering level of chicken in the comparison with the previous year. If in 2009 the aviculture impact was influenced by the world financial crisis, in 2012, the supply chain of chicken slaughter in the national aggregate level was hit by the price rises of the production inputs (soybean and corn) which put many enterprises in a difficult situation.

The South Region responded for 58.6% of the national chicken slaughter, whereas the Southeast Region recorded 22.1%. Paraná is the rank leader in terms of contribution to the national production, with a growth in the number of head slaughtered in 2012, over the preceding year. Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul and São Paulo recorded drops in the activity level, especially in the second semester.

The South still leads the slaughter of pigs and hogs with 65.3% in the national contribution

Slaughter of pigs and hogs increased 3.2% in 2012 over 2011. In almost all months of the year, there was positive change in the slaughter of pigs and hogs, over the monthly records of 2011.  The exceptions were September and December, which changed -4.7% and -7.9%, respectively.

The South region remained as the main slaughtering region of pigs and hogs in 2012, accounting for 65.3% of all the national slaughter. Santa Catarina leads with 24.8% of the national slaughter of pigs and hogs, followed by Rio Grande do Sul (18.0%) and Paraná (16.6%), but it was in Paraná and Minas Gerais that the production and contribution rises stood out as compared with 2011.

Acquisition of milk peaked in the first quarter of the year

The annual change of milk production was 2.5% year-on-year. In the comparison between the months in 2012 and 2011, rises in the acquisition of milk were registered between January and August and drops from September on, November posting the sharpest one. The highest acquisition of milk was in Q1.

Out of the total of milk acquired in 2012, 92.5% came from establishments that are under federal sanitary inspection, 6.8% from establishments under state inspection and 0.7% under municipal inspection.

The acquisition kept the upward trend along the series, from 1997 up to the last available data, and, during the period, it could be said that the acquired volume doubled.

Purchase of cattle hide falls 5.4% in 2012

In the cumulative index of 2012, the acquisition of leather had a rise of 3.6% over 2011. Of the acquired leather, 65.3% came from refrigerated slaughterhouses; 6.8% from intermediate sellers or salters; 1.5% from municipal slaughterhouses; 1.1% from other tanneries and 0.2% from different origins.

As to leather furnished by third parties (for the provision of tanning services), from 2011 to 2012, there was a 3.2% reduction. The sharpest falls were seen in Maranhão (-76.1%), Ceará (-54.6%) and São Paulo (-41.8%). Minas Gerais had a significant rise (520.9%), as well as Pará (191.3%) and Tocantins (129.4%).

Tanning increased 3.6% in 2012 as compared to 2011.

Cattle slaughter in Q4 reached 8.1 million head

n Q4 of 2012, 8.186 million cattle head were slaughtered, hitting a new record in the time series of quarterly cattle slaughter. The previous record was established in Q3 of 2012, with a mark of 8.053 million head slaughtered. Cattle slaughter in Brazil has been increasing in the last three quarters. In the comparisons between Q4 of 2012 with the previous quarter and with Q4 of 2011, the rises accounted for 1.7% and 11.1%, respectively.

Cumulative carcass weight (1.950 million metric tons) was 1.7% higher than in Q3 of 2011 and 11.5% higher than the one registered in the same quarter a year ago.

Chicken slaughter posts decrease of 3.3% in relation to the Q3 of 2012

In Q4, 1.288 billion chicken head were slaughtered, a decrease of 3.3% in relation to the previous quarter and of 2.4% in relation to Q4 of 2011. The cumulative carcass weight (2.766 million metric tons) was 6.7% higher than in Q3 of 2012 and 3.2% lower than the one registered in Q4 of 2011.

The three states of the South totaled 59.0% of the national slaughter, more than doubling the Southeast contribution (21.1%). Paraná leads the national chicken slaughter rank, reaching a contribution of 28.0%.  Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul come next, each one with a 15% contribution.

In the comparison with Q3 of 2012, Santa Catarina slaughtered 12.8% less, and São Paulo recorded a negative change of 8.4%, contributing significantly to the production drop in the national aggregate index.

Slaughter of pigs and hogs posts rise of 0.8% over Q4 of 2011

In Q4 of 2012, 9.083 million pigs and hogs were slaughtered, a drop of 2.2% in relation to the previous quarter and a rise of 0.8% in relation to the Q4 of 2011. The cumulative carcass weight (863.825 thousand metric tons) was 3.6% lower than the one registered in the previous quarter and 1.1% lower than the same period in 2011.

The South Region accounted for 64.4% of the national slaughter of pigs and hogs in Q4 of 2012, followed by the Southeast (19.2%), Central-West (15.1%), Northeast (1.3%) and North Regions (0.1%). In the comparison between the last quarters in 2012-2011, the highlight was the Southeast Region, the only one to present a rise (1.1%), thanks to the 9.1% growth in the slaughtering activity in Minas Gerais. Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul also increased the slaughter of pigs and hogs, but Santa Catarina, which tops the national rank, registered a fall of 7.2% in the number of slaughtered head, causing a negative change of 0.6% in the slaughtering activity in the South.

Acquisition of milk increased 4.8% quarter-on-quarter

The acquisition of milk in Q4 of 2012 rose 4.8% in relation to Q3 in the same year. However, in relation to the Q4 of 2012, it fell 1.8%.

In the period, the regional contribution in the acquisition of milk was 38.9% for the Southeast; 36.6% for the South; 13.7% for the Central-West; 5.8% for the North and 5.0% for the Northeast. Minas Gerais is the state that most acquires milk (25.6%), followed by Rio Grande do Sul (15.4%) and Paraná (11.7%). The first six sates account for 82.7% of the acquisition of milk.

Purchase of cattle hide also rose in Q4 by 4.4%

The acquisition of entire cattle hides was of 8.767 million units in last quarter of 2012, rising 4.4% in the relation to the same period of 2011. However, when compared with the Q3 of 2012, there was a drop of 2.8%.

The origin of the hides in the final quarter of 2012 can be distributed as it follows: 66.3% from refrigerated slaughterhouses, 24.7% from third parties rendering tanning services and 6.1% from intermediate sellers or salters.

Among hides from refrigerated slaughterhouses, 39.9% were set in the Central-West Region; 21.1% in the North; 19.8% in the Southeast and 16.0% in the South.

In terms of total hide purchase, Mato Grosso is a highlight, followed by São Paulo and Mato Grosso do Sul.

Production of eggs fell 2.9% quarter-on-quarter

The production of hen eggs totaled 662.116 million in Q4 of 2012, holding stable in relation to Q4 of 2011, but falling 2.9% in relation to the Q3 of 2012. In the comparison between the end of 2012 and 2011, significant decreases were seen in São Paulo (-5.4%), Minas Gerais (-5.1%) and in Rio de Janeiro (-16.9%), which affected the Southeast Southeast Region (-1.7%). In the South, there was a 0.4% drop, with negative results in Paraná and Santa Catarina. In the Northeast, the sharpest falls were in Ceará and Sergipe; however, the overall index of the region did not decrease. The North and Central-West recorded a rise in the production of hen eggs.