In 2023, 34.06 million cattle head were slaughtered, an increase of 13.7% compared to the previous year, continuing the growth trend seen in 2022.

As for chicken slaughter, in the cumulative index of 2023, 6.28 billion head were slaughtered, an increase of 2.8% compared to 2022 and the best result in the time series started in 1997.

In relation to hogs and pigs, in 2023, 57.17 million head were slaughtered, a new survey record, an increase of 1.3% (+707.33 thousand head) compared to 2022.

Cumulative raw milk acquisition in 2023 was 24.52 billion liters, an increase of 2.5% compared to 2022, resuming growth after two years of consecutive declines.

The production of hen eggs in 2023 was 4.21 billion dozen, once again reaching a record in the time series, with an increase of 2.7% compared to 2022, when production was also a record.

In the 4th quarter of 2023, cattle slaughter increased 21.3%, slaughter of hogs and pigs grew 1.1% and chicken slaughter fell 2.2% compared to the same period in 2022. Compared to the 3rd quarter of 2023, cattle slaughter rose 1.8%, slaughter of hogs and pigs fell 3.4% and chicken slaughter fell 3.2%.

The acquisition of milk was 6.46 billion liters, an increase of 2.2% compared to the 4th quarter of 2022 and an increase of 2.6% compared to the previous quarter.

The acquisition of whole pieces of rawhide by tanneries rose 17.7% compared to the 4th quarter of 2022, and increased 2.6% compared to the previous quarter, totaling 9.17 million pieces of rawhide.

In the 4th quarter of 2023, 1.05 billion dozen hen eggs were produced, an increase of 0.5% compared to the same period in 2022 and a reduction of 1.9% compared to the previous quarter.

Cattle slaughter rises again in 2023 and has a record for carcass weight production

In 2023, 34.06 million cattle head were slaughtered under some type of sanitary inspection service, an increase of 13.7% compared to the previous year.

This result continues the growth trend seen in 2022. In terms of heads slaughtered, this is the second highest result obtained in the history of the survey, only behind the result of 2013. However, the production of 8.95 million carcasses was a record.

In 2023, the slaughter of females increased for the second consecutive year, with an increase of 26.6% compared to last year. The increase in activity was followed by record exports of fresh beef (2.01 million tonnes) recgistered by the time series of the Secretariat of Foreign Trade (Secex) and by the 19.8% drop in the average arroba price (Cepea/ Esalq).

The slaughter of 4.11 million more cattle head, in the 2023/2022 comparison, was caused by increases in 21 of the 27 Federation Units. The most significant increases, in the Federation Units with 1.0% or more participation, occurred in Mato Grosso (+1.21 million head), Rondônia (+841.05 thousand head), Goiás (+535.19 thousand head), Pará (+440.24 thousand head), Minas Gerais (+247.21 thousand head), Bahia (+195.43 thousand head) and Tocantins (+149.30 thousand head). On the other hand, the most intense drop occurred in Mato Grosso do Sul (-29.66 thousand head).

Mato Grosso continued to lead the ranking of cattle slaughter states in 2023, with 17.4% of the national share, followed by Goiás (10.4%) and São Paulo (10.1%).

In the 4th quarter of 2023, 9.15 million cattle head were slaughtered under some type of sanitary inspection service. There was an increase of 21.3% compared to the 4th quarter of 2022 and an increase of 1.8% compared to the 3rd quarter of 2023.

Slaughter of hogs and pigs grows 1.3% and reaches new record level

In 2023, 57.17 million head of hogs and pigs were slaughtered, representing an increase of 1.3% compared to 2022 and a new survey record.

In a monthly comparison between the years 2023 and 2022, January showed the biggest increase (+333.10 thousand head) and only in the months of April, September and December, the slaughter of hogs and pigs did fall. In the cumulative result for 2023, pork exports in natura reached records in the Secex time series and in the month-on-month comparison between the years 2023/2022, only in August and October were there drops recorded. The situation for the pig farming production sector in 2023 showed a reduction in production costs (corn and soybean bran), a consequence of the 2023 record harvest and the slowdown in supply growth.

The slaughter of 707.33 thousand more head of hogs and pigs in 2023, compared to the previous year, was driven by increases in slaughter in 9 of the 24 Federation Units participating in the survey. Among those with a share above 1.0%, increases occurred in: Paraná (+660.63 thousand head), Santa Catarina (+631.22 thousand head) and Mato Grosso do Sul (+64.29 thousand head). On the other hand, falls occurred in: Minas Gerais (-266.10 thousand head), São Paulo (-166.97 thousand head), Mato Grosso (-126.92 thousand head), Goiás (-54.25 thousand head) and Rio Grande do Sul (-20.85 thousand head).

Santa Catarina maintained its leadership in the slaughter of hogs and pigs in 2023, with 29.5% of the national slaughter, followed by Paraná (21.2%) and Rio Grande do Sul (17.0%).

The slaughter of hogs and pigs totaled 14.15 million head in the 4th quarter of 2023, an increase of 1.1% compared to the same quarter of 2022 and a drop of 3.4% compared to the previous quarter.

Chicken slaughter is the largest in the time series

Year-to-date, 6.28 billion chicken head were slaughtered, an increase of 2.8% compared to 2022.

This result was the best in the time series started in 1997. In a monthly comparison between the years 2023/2022, the month of January showed the biggest increase (+33.37 million head) and only in the months of September, November and December, the slaughter of chicken head did fall.

In 2023, a new record for fresh chicken meat exports was recorded and in the month-to-month comparison between the years 2023/2022, increases were recorded every month. Average prices in the poultry sector followed a downward trend until July 2023 with subsequent recovery up to the end of the year.

The slaughter of 172.35 million more chicken head in 2023, compared to the previous year, was determined by an increase in the slaughter in 13 of the 25 Federation Units that participated in the survey. Among those with a share above 1.0%, increases occurred in: Paraná (+111.99 million head), Santa Catarina (+40.96 million head), Minas Gerais (+34.26 million head), São Paulo (+27.03 million head) and Goiás (+22.95 million head). On the other hand, there were drops in: Rio Grande do Sul (-32.97 million head), Mato Grosso do Sul (-11.01 million head), Bahia (-9.97 million head) and Mato Grosso (- 5.86 million head).

Paraná continued to largely lead the ranking of FUs in chicken slaughter in 2023, with a 34.3% share in the national participation, followed by Santa Catarina (13.4%) and by Rio Grande do Sul (12.5%).

In the 4th quarter of 2023, 1.53 billion chicken head were slaughtered. This result meant a drop of 2.2% compared to the equivalent quarter of the previous year and a decrease of 3.2% compared to the 3rd quarter of 2023.

Milk acquisition grows again, after two years of decline

In 2023, dairies operating under some type of sanitary inspection service captured 24.52 billion liters, an increase of 2.5% compared to 2022.

In the monthly comparison, with the exception of February, all other months showed a positive change in relation to 2022, with the most significant change being observed in June (120.80 million liters). Competitive prices from external suppliers, such as Argentina and Uruguay, led to an increase in imports to meet industry's demand. This fact, associated with the increase in domestic production, influenced the reduction in the price paid to producers throughout 2023. Added to this scenario was an incipient consumer demand for dairy products.

There was an increase of 604.02 million liters of milk, at a national level, in the 2023/2022 comparison, related to the increase in the volume captured in 19 of the 26 Federation Units participating in the Quarterly Milk Survey. The most considerable absolute positive changes occurred in Santa Catarina (+215.37 million liters), Paraná (+189.36 million liters), Sergipe (+64.31 million liters) and Ceará (+53.56 million liters). On the other hand, there was a decrease in seven states, the most significant of which were seen in São Paulo (-117.70 million liters), Minas Gerais (-37.22 million liters) and Pará (-22.03 million liters).

Minas Gerais continued to lead the milk acquisition ranking, with 23.8% of national capture, followed by Paraná (14.8%) and Santa Catarina (13.1%).

The acquisition of raw milk made by establishments that operate under some type of sanitary inspection in the 4th quarter of 2023 was 6.46 billion liters. The value corresponded to an increase of 2.2% compared to the volume recorded in the 4th quarter of 2022 and an increase of 2.6% compared to that obtained in the immediately previous quarter.

Leather acquisition increases 11.7% in 2023

In 2023, the tanneries investigated by the Quarterly Leather Survey declared having received 34.40 million whole pieces of bovine rawhide, an increase of 11.7% compared to the previous year. As with the slaughter survey, the month with the biggest change was November (+23.8%).

The increase of 3.60 million whole pieces of leather, at a national level, in the 2023/2022 comparison, was influenced by the increase in the receipt of bovine skins in 12 of the 18 Federation Units that have at least 5.0% of participation in the national acquisition of leather pieces. The most significant positive changes occurred in Goiás (+1.35 million pieces), Mato Grosso (+862.48 thousand pieces), Rondônia (+702.83 thousand pieces), Pará (+326.12 thousand pieces), Paraná (+181.95 thousand pieces) and São Paulo (+173.83 thousand pieces). On the other hand, the most significant reduction occurred in Rio Grande do Sul (-229.74 thousand pieces).

In the ranking of FUs, Mato Grosso continued to lead the reception of skins by tanneries in 2023, with 17.1% national participation, followed by Goiás (13.7%) and Mato Grosso do Sul (12.4%).

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 9.17 million whole pieces of bovine rawhide in the 4th quarter of 2023. This quantity represents a increase of 17.7% compared to that recorded in the 4th quarter of 2022 and 2.6% compared to the previous quarter.

Hen egg production rises 2.7% in 2023 and breaks new record

In 2023, hen egg production was 4.21 billion dozen, an increase of 2.7% compared to the previous year. It was the highest value ever recorded in the survey's time series, resulting in another year of record production.

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, also surveyed.

The production of 111.60 million more dozen eggs, nationally, in the 2023/2022 comparison, was a consequence of the increase in production in 21 of the 26 FUs with farms included in the survey universe. The most significant increases occurred in: Paraná (+28.82 million dozen), Goiás (+15.11 million dozen), São Paulo (+9.27 million dozen), Minas Gerais (+8.23 million dozen) and Mato Grosso (+8.00 million dozen). The UFs that showed the most significant drops were: Amazonas (-3.06 million dozen) and Espírito Santo (-1.44 million dozen).

The State of São Paulo presented an increase of 0.8% in its production, compared to the previous year, and continued to be responsible for the largest production among the FUs, leading the annual ranking of States in hen egg production, with 26.4% of the national production, followed by Paraná (10.3%), Minas Gerais (8.8%) and Espírito Santo (8.0%).

The production of hen eggs in the 4th quarter of 2023 reached 1.05 billion dozen, corresponding to an increase of 0.5% in relation to the quantity recorded in the same quarter of 2022 and a drop of 1.9% over that recorded in the preceding quarter. It was not the first time that a drop from the 3rd to the 4th quarter was observed; Based on the results of this edition of the survey, there were five occurrences in the last 10 years. However, the 4th quarter of 2023 brought the second highest production ever estimated by the survey, only behind the production of the 3rd quarter of the same year.