Cattle slaughter increased 1.2% in 2019, hitting 32.44 million head. It was the third consecutive rise in the annual time series, after drops registered between 2014 and 2016. Hogs and pigs slaughter rose 4.5% and hit a new record, reaching 46.33 million head. After dropping for two years, chicken slaughter also increased 1.9% in 2019 and added up to 5.81 billion chicken head.

Milk acquisition reached 25.01 billion liters, a rise of 2.3%. On the other hand, leather acquisition fell 5.0% over 2018 by adding up to 33.34 million pieces. The production of eggs rose 6.3% and reached 3.8 billion dozens, a new record in the time series started in 1987. The complete publication can be accessed on the right side.

Cattle slaughter increases 1.2% and has third annual rise in a row

In 2019, 32.44 million cattle head were slaughtered, an increase of 1.2% over the previous year. This was the third consecutive rise in the annual time series, after the drops registered in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The growth was leveraged by increases in 15 out of the 27 Federation Units, the most significant being in Mato Grosso (+430.55 thousand head), Mato Grosso do Sul (+291.51 thousand), São Paulo (+224.23 thousand) and Santa Catarina (+60.15 thousand). The most intense drops took place in Pará (-283.22 thousand), Goiás (-199.50 thousand) and Rio Grande do Sul (-167.86 thousand).

Mato Grosso remained leading the ranking of FUs, with 17.4% of the national share, followed by Mato Grosso do Sul (11.1%) and Goiás (10.3%).

8.07 million cattle head were slaughtered in the fourth quarter of 2019, an amount 1.4% lower than that of the fourth quarter of 2018 and 5.0% lower than the third quarter of 2019.

Hogs and pigs slaughter rises 4.5% and hits new record in 2019

Last year, 46.33 million head of hogs and pigs were slaughtered, an increase of 4.5% (+1.99 million head) over 2018. The annual time series pointed out a continuous rise of this activity, peaking in a new record in 2019.

The slaughter increased in 20 out of the 25 FUs included in the survey. Among those with a share above 1.0%, Santa Catarina (+845.89 thousand head), São Paulo (+300.27 thousand), Minas Gerais (+295.40 thousand), Mato Grosso (+253.65 thousand), Rio Grande do Sul (+191.65 thousand), Goiás (+140.47 thousand) and Mato Grosso do Sul (+31.77 thousand) increased. Conversely, the major drop was reported in Paraná (-90.74 thousand head).

Santa Catarina remained leading in hogs and pigs slaughter in 2019, with 27.0% of the national slaughter, followed by Paraná (19.9%) and Rio Grande do Sul (18.1%).

In the fourth quarter of 2019, 11.89 million head of hogs and pigs were slaughtered, a rise of 1.2% over the immediately previous quarter and an increase of 6.2% over the same period in 2018. October, November and December recorded the best results, thus causing a new record in the time series started in 1997.

Chicken slaughter increases 1.9%, first rise since 2016

In 2019, 5.81 billion chicken head were slaughtered, an increase of 1.9% (+106.90 million head) over 2018. This was the first growth in this activity after two consecutive years of drops.

The slaughter rose in 15 out of the 25 FUs included in the survey. Among those with a share above 1.0%, Paraná (+94.52 million head), Santa Catarina (+52.34 million), Goiás (+15.00 million), Minas Gerais (+14.93 million), Bahia (+5.12 million), Mato Grosso (+4.24 million) and Pará (+2.62 million) increased. In contrast, the drops were reported in Rio Grande do Sul (-39.15 million), São Paulo (-20.49 million), the Federal District (-15.08 million) and Mato Grosso do Sul (-11.15 million).

Paraná remained extensively leading the national share, with 32.5%, followed by Santa Catarina (14.1%) and Rio Grande do Sul (14.0%).

In the fourth quarter of 2019, 1.47 billion chicken head were slaughtered, remaining stable (-0.1%) over the immediately previous quarter and increasing 3.8% compared with the same period of 2018. In the monthly comparison, it was the best result for October in the time series.

Milk acquisition grows 2.3% and hits another record

Dairy products under sanitary inspection collected 25.01 billion liters last year, an increase of 2.3% over 2018, maintaining the sequence of positive results since 2017, and a record in the time series started in 1997.

The acquisition of more 552.42 million liters of milk at national level was caused by the increase of the volume collected in 18 out of the 26 FUs included in the Quarterly Survey of Milk. The biggest increases were reported in Paraná (+186.16 million liters), Minas Gerais (+181.60 million), Goiás (+112.49 million), São Paulo (+57.60 million) and Ceará (+55.14 million). Eight states decreased, more significantly in Rio Grande do Sul (-79.35 million).

Minas Gerais maintained the leadership, with 25.0% of the national share, followed by Rio Grande do Sul (13.2%) and Paraná (13.1%).

In the fourth quarter of 2019, milk acquisition was of 6.65 billion liters, a reduction of 0.9% over the fourth quarter of 2018. The volume was 5.6% higher than that of the immediately previous quarter. Comparing the fourth quarter of 2019 with the same period of 2018, less 57.38 million liters were acquired at national level.

Leather acquisition falls 5% in 2019

In 2019, the tanning houses investigated by the Quarterly Survey of Leather – those that tan at least five thousand whole pieces of cattle hide per year – reported to have received 33.34 million whole pieces of cattle hides, a drop of 5.0% over 2018.

The reduction of 1.77 million leather pieces was leveraged by the retraction of the acquisition of cattle hides in 11 out of the 20 FUs that have at least one active tanning house included in the universe of the survey. The most significant negative changes were reported in Pará (-412.99 thousand pieces), Paraná (-381.73 thousand), Rio Grande do Sul (-321.55 thousand), Goiás (-294.27 thousand) and Mato Grosso (-283.95 thousand). On the other hand, the most significant increases were reported in Rondônia (+301.89 thousand) and Minas Gerais (+66.41 thousand).

Among the FUs, Mato Grosso remained leading in 2019, with 16.6% of the national share, followed by Mato Grosso do Sul (13.8%) and São Paulo (11.8%).

In the fourth quarter of 2019, the investigated tanning houses reported to have received 7.89 million leather pieces, a reduction of 8.1% over the immediately previous quarter and a drop of 12.4% against the fourth quarter of 2018. The comparison between the fourth quarters of 2018 and 2019 pointed out to a drop of 1.12 million pieces in the total acquired by the establishments.

Production of eggs increases 6.3% and hits 3.8 billion dozens

The production of hen eggs was of 3.83 billion dozens in 2019, representing an increase of 6.3% over the previous year. The annual time series pointed out to a continuous rise in this activity, a record in the time series started in 1987.

The increase of 226.92 million dozens of eggs came from 21 out of the 26 FUs with farms included in the universe of the survey. The most significant increases were reported in São Paulo (+53.60 million dozens), Ceará (+30.37 million), Minas Gerais (+30.0 million), Paraná (+29.36 million), Espírito Santo (+20.26 million) and Mato Grosso (+18.24 million). Conversely, the biggest drop was reported in Rio Grande do Sul (-4.71 million), followed by the Federal District (-2.43 million). Together, the drops in Alagoas, Rio Grande do Norte and Bahia did not reach five million dozens.

The state of São Paulo remained leading the ranking of FUs, with 29.0% of the national production, followed, for the second consecutive year, by Espírito Santo (9.4%). Minas Gerais (9.3%) and Paraná (9.1%) came right after them. The Southeast Region was responsible for nearly half of the production of eggs in 2019: it originated 48.1% of the total produced.

985.69 million dozens of hen eggs were produced in the fourth quarter of 2019, an increase of 1.4% over the production of the third quarter and 4.7% higher than that of the fourth quarter of 2018. The production of eggs in the fourth quarter of 2019 was the biggest one in the time series.

Based on the data raised in 2019, the record information of the farms pointed out that more than half of the farms, 1,125 (55.1%), produced eggs for consumption, accounting for 81.0% of the eggs produced, while 915 farms (44.9%) produced eggs for incubation, accounting for 19.0% of the eggs produced.