In the first three months of 2016, 7.3 million cattle head were slaughtered, representing drops of 5.2% in relation to the previous quarter and of 5.8% in relation to the same quarter of 2015. The slaughter of hogs and pigs reached 10.06 million head, with drops of 1.5% in the quarter and a rise of 9.6% in relation to the same quarter of the previous year. Chicken slaughter (1.5 billion) fell 1.8% in the quarter, but grew 7.1% in relation to the same period of 2015. The purchase of raw milk (5.86 billion liters) in the country decreased in both comparisons: 6.8% in the quarter and 4.5% in the annual comparison. The purchase ofleather reached 8.4 million pieces, with a subtle positive change (0.4%) in the quarter, growing 2.0% in the annual comparison. The production of hen eggs reached 748.87 million dozens, with a slight positive change (0.1%) in the quarter and a high of 6.0% in the annual comparison. The main information of the Statistics of Livestock Production is as follows, and the complete publication can be accessed here.

Cattle slaughter shrinks more than 5% in both comparisons

In the first quarter of 2016 7.29 million cattle head were slaughtered under some sort of sanitation inspection. This quantity was 5.2 and 5.8% lower than the one registered in the previous quarter and in the first quarter of 2015, respectively.

The slaughter of 446.88 thousand less cattle head in the first quarter of 2016, in relation to the same period in the previous year, was leveraged by the reduction in 21 of the 27 Federation Units. The biggest decreases were in Goiás (-116.08 thousand head), Minas Gerais (-114.89 thousand head) and Mato Grosso do Sul (-63.96 thousand head).

In the cattle slaughter ranking of the Federation Units, Mato Grosso keeps far ahead, followed by Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo.

Slaughter of hogs and pigs falls 1.5% in the quarter, but grows 9.6% in the annual comparison 

In the first quarter of 2016, 10.06 million head of hogs and pigs were slaughtered, representing a decrease of 1.5% over the previous quarter and an increase of 9.6% over the same period in 2015.

The slaughter of 883.55 thousand more head of hogs and pigs in the first quarter of 2016, in relation to the same period a year ago, was pushed by the slaughter increase in 17 of the 25 Federation Units within the slaughtering facilities comprised by the survey methodology. The biggest increases occurred in the three states of the South: Paraná (237.08 thousand head), Rio Grande do Sul (223.35 thousand head) and Santa Catarina (158.90 thousand head), which held, together, 66.3% of the national slaughter of hogs and pigs, in the first quarter of 2016.

Santa Catarina is still in the top position of the national slaughter of hogs and pigs, followed by Rio Grandedo Sul and Paraná.

Chicken slaughter shrinks 1.8% in the quarter, but grous 7.1% in the annual comparison 

In the first quarter of 2016, 1.48 billion chicken head were slaughtered. This figure represented a drop of 1.8% over the previous quarter and an increase of 7.1% in the comparison with the same period in 2015.

The slaughter of 98.22 million more chicken head in the first quarter of 2016, in relation to the period of the previous year, was leveraged by increases in the slaughter of 14 in 25 Federation Units with slaughtering facilities comprised by the survey methodology. The main increases occurred in: Paraná (40.19 million head), Rio Grande do Sul (22.06 million head), Goiás (13.22 million head) and Minas Gerais (9.87 million head).

In the ranking of the Federation Units, Paraná keeps the leadership in chicken slaughter, followed by Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul.

Purchase of milk reaches 5.86 billion liters, but shrinks in both comparisons 

In the first quarter of 2016, the purchase of raw milk by dairy companies which are ruled by some kind of sanitary inspection was of 5.86 liters. This quantity was 6.8% and 4.5% lower than the ones seen in the previous quarter and in the first quarter of 2015, respectively.

The purchase of 274.71 million less liters of milk at national level, in the comparison with the same period a year ago, was influenced by the reduction in 19 of the 26 Federation Units taking part in the survey. The highlight were the drops seen in Minas Gerais (-97.91 million liters), Paraná (-74.10 million liters), Goiás (-40.45 million liters) and Rio Grande do Sul (-39.20 million liters).

In the ranking of the Federation Units, Minas Gerais is still far ahead in the purchase of milk, followed by Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná.

Production of rawhides grows 2% in the annual comparison 

In the first quarter of 2016, the tanneries surveyed by the Quarterly Survey of Rawhide –those which carry out the tanning of at least 5,000 whole units of cattle rawhide per year - reported having received 8.39 million whole pieces of cattle rawhide. This quantity was 0.4% lower than the one recorded in the previous quarter and 2.0% bigger than the one recorded in the first quarter of 2015.

The purchase of 168.50 thousand more whole pieces of rawhide at national level, in relation to the first quarter of 2015, was pushed by the increases in 11 of the 20 Federation Units where there are tanneries comprised by the survey's universe. The greatest increases occurred in Rondônia (145.81 thousand pieces),Tocantins (128.40 thousand pieces), Paraná (114.96 thousand pieces) and Mato Grosso do Sul (80.69 thousand pieces).

Among the Federation Units, Mato Grosso still leads the receipt of cattle hides into tanneries, followed by Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo.

Production of hen eggs increases by 6% in the annual comparison 

In the first quarter of 2016, the production of hen eggs was of 748.87 million dozens. This quantity was 0.1% higher than the one recorded in the previous quarter and 6.0% bigger than that of the first quarter of 2015.

The production of 42.46 million more dozens of eggs, at national level, in the comparison with the first quarters of 2016/2015, was leveraged buy increases in the 19 of the 25 Federation Units whose poultry farms were comprised by the survey's universe. The highest increases occurred in São Paulo (14.72 million dozens), Paraná (8.25 million dozens) and Espírito Santo (5.28 million dozens).

In the ranking of the Federation Units, São Paulo keeps the leadership in the production of eggs, followed by Paraná and Minas Gerais.