Quarterly livestock surveys: slaughter of cattle, hogs and pigs and chickens grows in Q2
September 10, 2025 09h00 AM | Last Updated: September 11, 2025 10h20 AM
Animal production results for the second quarter of 2025 indicate that cattle slaughter increased 3.9% compared to the same period in 2024 and 5.5% compared to the previous quarter.
Slaughter of hogs and pigs increased 2.6% compared to the same period in 2024 and 4.1% compared to the first quarter of 2025. Chicken slaughter increased 1.1% compared to the same period in 2024 and decreased 0.4% compared to the first quarter of 2025..
Raw milk purchases in the first quarter of 2025 totaled 6.50 billion liters, a 9.4% increase compared to the second quarter of 2024 and a 1.0% decrease compared to the preceding quarter.
Rawhide purchases by tanneries increased by 4.6% compared to the same quarter of the previous year and decreased by 0.1% compared to the first quarter of 2025, totaling 10.75 million pieces.
In the second quarter of 2025, 1.24 billion dozen hen eggs were produced, an increase of 6.2% compared to the same quarter of the previous year and 2.9% compared to the preceding quarter.
| Animal Slaughter, Milk Acquisition, Rawhide Acquisition, and Hen Egg Production | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q2 | Q1 | Q2 | 3 / 1 | 3 / 2 | |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |||
| Number of slaughtered animals (1,000 head) | |||||
| CATTLE | 10 068 | 9 922 | 10 464 | 3,9 | 5,5 |
| Oxen | 5 173 | 4 630 | 4 819 | -6,8 | 4,1 |
| Cows | 3 088 | 3 303 | 3 528 | 14,3 | 6,8 |
| Steers | 356 | 400 | 378 | 6,2 | -5,6 |
| Heifers | 1 451 | 1 588 | 1 739 | 19,8 | 9,5 |
| HOGS AND PIGS | 14 626 | 14 420 | 15 012 | 2,6 | 4,1 |
| CHICKEN | 1 621 275 | 1 646 089 | 1 639 710 | 1,1 | -0,4 |
| Carcass weight (tonnes) | |||||
| CATTLE | 2 607 580 | 2 497 826 | 2 650 085 | 1,6 | 6,1 |
| Oxen | 1 534 798 | 1 355 118 | 1 424 575 | -7,2 | 5,1 |
| Cows | 674 912 | 708 232 | 761 678 | 12,9 | 7,5 |
| Steers | 92 760 | 105 524 | 99 957 | 7,8 | -5,3 |
| Heifers | 305 111 | 328 952 | 363 874 | 19,3 | 10,6 |
| HOGS AND PIGS | 1 337 085 | 1 327 530 | 1 413 584 | 5,7 | 6,5 |
| CHICKEN | 3 460 597 | 3 489 286 | 3 555 592 | 2,7 | 1,9 |
| Milk (1,000 liters) | |||||
| Purchased | 5 943 220 | 6 567 544 | 6 502 280 | 9,4 | -1,0 |
| Processed | 5 932 577 | 6 564 465 | 6 486 638 | 9,3 | -1,2 |
| Rawhide (1,000 units) | |||||
| Purchased (raw) | 10 280 | 10 755 | 10 748 | 4,6 | -0,1 |
| Tanned | 9 526 | 9 521 | 9 217 | -3,2 | -3,2 |
| Eggs (1,000 dozen) | |||||
| Production | 1 168 629 | 1 205 983 | 1 241 014 | 6,2 | 2,9 |
| SOURCE: IBGE - Diretoria de Pesquisas, Coordenação de Estatísticas Agropecuárias - Pesquisa Trimestral do Abate de Animais, Pesquisa Trimestral do Leite, Pesquisa Trimestral do Couro e Pesquisa da Produção de Ovos de Galinha. Note: Data for 2025 are preliminary. |
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Cattle slaughter continues to rise in the Q2 2025
In the second quarter of 2025, 10.46 million cattle head were slaughtered under some type of health inspection. Compared to the same period last year, this represents a 3.9% increase, and compared to the first quarter of 2025, the increase was 5.5%.
May was the most intense month of the quarter, with a total slaughter of 3.59 million head, a 4.9% increase compared to the same month last year. The slaughter of female cattle increased by 16% compared to the same period in 2024, demonstrating a continuation of the upward trend in slaughter for this category in the first half of 2025.
The slaughter of 395,980 additional head of cattle in the second quarter of 2025, compared to the same period in the previous year, was driven by increases in 20 of the 27 Brazilian Federation Units (UFs). Among those with a national share of 1.0% or more, the most significant increases occurred in: São Paulo (+129,520 head), Pará (+87,090 head), Rio Grande do Sul (+50,450 head), Bahia (+36,310 head), Rondônia (+32,660 head), and Pernambuco (+30,150 head).
The most significant declines were in Mato Grosso (-85,430 head) and Minas Gerais (-52,980 head).
With 16.7% of the national share, Mato Grosso continues to lead cattle slaughter, followed by São Paulo (10.9%) and Goiás (10.1%).
Slaughter of hogs and pigs reaches best Q2 in time series
In the second quarter of 2025, 15.01 million head of hogs and pigs were slaughtered, representing a 2.6% increase compared to the same period in 2024 and a 4.1% increase compared to the first quarter of 2025. This quarterly result represented the highest slaughter for the months of May and June and was a record in the time series dating back to 1997.
The slaughter of 385,930 additional head of hogs and pigs in the second quarter of 2025, compared to the same period the previous year, was driven by increases in 12 of the 26 Federation Units participating in the survey. Among the Federation Units with a share of at least 1.0%, increases occurred in: Rio Grande do Sul (+179,240 head), Minas Gerais (+95,870 head), Mato Grosso do Sul (+94,530 head), and Paraná (+60,090 head). Conversely, the main declines occurred in: Santa Catarina (-36,080 head), Mato Grosso (-20,450 head), and Goiás (-1,710 head).
Santa Catarina continues to lead in the slaughter of hogs and pigs, with 28.0% of the national share, followed by Paraná (21.7%) and Rio Grande do Sul (17.8%).
Chicken slaughter records best result for a Q2
In the second quarter of 2025, 1.64 billion chicken head were slaughtered, representing a 1.1% increase compared to the same period in 2024 and a 0.4% decrease compared to the first quarter of 2025. A record for a second quarter, this result led the month of May to be the highest monthly record for chicken slaughter in the entire time series, which began in 1997.
The slaughter of 18.44 million additional chicken head in the second quarter of 2025, compared to the same period the previous year, was driven by increased slaughter in 19 of the 26 Federation Units that participated in the survey. Among those with a share above 1.0%, the most significant increases were in: São Paulo (+11.12 million head), Rio Grande do Sul (+9.31 million head), Santa Catarina (+5.68 million head), and Goiás (+4.14 million head). Conversely, the most significant declines were in: Paraná (-13.17 million head), Mato Grosso do Sul (-1.44 million head), Mato Grosso (-1.05 million head), and Minas Gerais (-944,290 head).
In the ranking of Federation Units, Paraná leads the way in chicken slaughter, with 34.1% of the national share, followed by Santa Catarina (13.7%) and Rio Grande do Sul (11.4%).
Milk purchases increased by 9.4% compared to the same period of the previous year
In the second quarter of 2025, raw milk purchases totaled 6.50 billion liters, representing a 9.4% increase compared to the second quarter of 2024 and a 1.0% decrease compared to the previous quarter. This represents the largest milk purchase at these establishments for a second quarter in the entire time series.
The average milk price paid to producers, R$2.75, represented a 5.4% increase compared to the same period of the previous year and a 0.4% decrease compared to the first quarter of 2025.
The South Region had the highest proportion of raw milk collection, 40.7% of the total, followed by the Southeast (35.9%), Central-West (10.5%), Northeast (9.4%), and North (3.5%). Comparing the second quarter of 2025 to the same period in 2024, the increase of 559.06 million liters of milk collected nationwide is due to increases recorded in 20 of the 26 Federation Units participating in the Quarterly Survey of Milk.
At the Federation Unit level, the most significant increases occurred in Rio Grande do Sul (+122.06 million liters), Paraná (+120.04 million liters) and Minas Gerais (+74.15 million liters). Conversely, the most significant reductions occurred in Espírito Santo (-3.98 million liters), Alagoas (-2.64 million liters), and Mato Grosso (-2.51 million liters).
Minas Gerais led the milk acquisition ranking, with 23.8% of the national collection, followed by Paraná (15.7%) and Santa Catarina (12.7%).
Leather acquisitions increased 15.7% compared to Q1 2024
In the second quarter of 2025, the tanneries surveyed by the Quarterly Survey of Leather Survey reported receiving 10.75 million pieces of cowhide. This total represents a 4.6% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year and a 0.1% decrease compared to the preceding quarter.
The comparison between the second quarters of 2024 and 2025 indicates a positive increase of 468,120 items in the total purchased by establishments. Increases were observed in 12 of the 17 Federation Units with tanneries eligible for the survey. The most significant positive changes, in Federation Units with more than 5.0% share of national acquisitions and at least three active establishments, occurred in Goiás (+211,640 items), Rio Grande do Sul (+183,510 items), and Pará (+44,070 items). The largest declines occurred in Paraná (-108,020 items) and Mato Grosso (-64,230 items).
Goiás remained the leading state in the list of Federation Units receiving rawhide for processing, with 18.9% of the national share, followed by Mato Grosso (15.0%) and Mato Grosso do Sul (11.5%).
Hen egg production reaches 1.24 billion dozens
Hen egg production in the second quarter of 2025 reached 1.24 billion dozens, representing a 6.2% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year and a 2.9% increase over the preceding quarter.
The 72.39 million dozen additional egg production nationwide, comparing the second quarters of 2025 and 2024, was a result of increases in 23 of the 26 Federation Units with farms included in the survey. The most significant increases occurred in São Paulo (+11.82 million dozen), Pernambuco (+11.18 million dozen), and Minas Gerais (+8.29 million dozen).
More than half of the farms, 1,141 (54.6%), produced eggs for consumption, accounting for 83.0% of the total eggs produced, while 949 farms (45.4%) produced eggs for hatching, accounting for 17.0% of the total eggs produced.
In the second quarter of 2025, the state of São Paulo, with 25.6% of national production, remained the largest egg producer among the Federation Units, followed by Minas Gerais (9.9%), Paraná (9.3%), and Espírito Santo (7.9%).
