Slaughter of cattle, pigs and hogs and chicken grows in Q1 2026
May 19, 2026 09h00 AM | Last Updated: May 19, 2026 04h36 PM
The first results of animal production in the 1st quarter of 2026 indicate that cattle slaughter increased by 3.3% compared to the 1st quarter of 2025 and decreased by 6.8% when compared to the 4th quarter of 2025.
Slaughter of hogs and pigs increased by 5.5% and chicken slaughter increased by 3.7% compared to the same period in 2025. Compared to the 4th quarter of 2025, the slaughter of hogs and pigs decreased by 0.1% and chicken slaughter decreased by 0.4%. In the 1st quarter of 2026, the acquisition of raw milk was 6.78 billion liters, an increase of 3.3% compared to the volume recorded in the 1st quarter of 2025 and a drop of 7.9% compared to the previous quarter.
The acquisition of leather pieces by tanneries registered stability (0.0%) compared to the 1st quarter of 2025 and a drop of 3.3% compared to the previous quarter, totaling 10.76 million whole pieces of whole rawhide.
In the 1st quarter of 2026, 1.21 billion dozen chicken eggs were produced, an increase of 0.4% compared to the same period of the previous year and a reduction of 3.5% compared to the 4th quarter of 2025.
Cattle slaughter rises 3.3% over the same period in the previous year.
In the first quarter of 2026, 10.29 million cattle head under some sort of sanitary inspection were slaughtered. This amount represented a positive change of 3.3% compared to the first quarter of 2025 and a reduction of 6.8% compared to the fourth quarter of 2025.
The production of 2.63 million tonnes of cattle carcasses, in the 1st quarter of 2026, consisted of an increase of 5.1% compared to the same quarter of the previous year and of 10.2% compared to the fourth quarter of 2025.
In the first quarter, slaughter of hogs and pigs adds up to 15.27 million head
Slaughter of hogs and pigs totaled 15.27 million head in the first quarter of 2026, representing an increase of 5.5% compared to the same quarter of the previous year and a reduction of 0.1% compared to the fourth quarter of 2025.
The cumulative weight of carcasses registered 1.37 million tonnes in the 1st quarter of 2025, an increase of 2.6% compared to the 1st quarter of 2025 and a reduction of 3.0% compared to the previous quarter.
In the first quarter of 2026, 1.71 billion chicken head were slaughtered. This result was 3.7% higher than that obtained in the equivalent quarter of the previous year and it was 0.4% lower than that seen in the 4th quarter of 2025.
The cumulative weight of carcasses was 3.73 million tonnes in the first quarter of 2026. This total represents an increase of 7.0% compared to the 1st quarter of 2025 and an increase of 2.3% compared to the previous quarter.
Milk acquisition registered an increase of 3.3% compared to the same period of the previous year
The acquisition of raw milk made by establishments that operate under some type of health inspection (federal, state or municipal) in the 1st quarter of 2026 was 6.78 billion liters.
The value corresponded to an increase of 3.3% compared to the volume recorded in the 1st quarter of 2025 and a drop of 7.9% compared to that obtained in the immediately previous quarter.
In relation to the 1st quarter of 2025, leather acquisition registers stability
The tanneries investigated in the Quarterly Survey of Leather – those responsible for at least 5,000 whole pieces of cattle rawhide per year – reported having received 10.76 million whole cattle rawhide pieces in the first quarter of 2026.
This amount represents stability (0.0%) compared to that recorded in the 1st quarter of 2025 and a drop of 3.3% compared to the previous quarter.
Production of hen eggs hits 1.21 billion dozen
Production of hen eggs was 1.21 billion dozen in the first quarter of 2026. The result represented an increase of 0.4% compared to the same period of the previous year and a reduction of 3.5% compared to the 4th quarter of 2025.
Number of animals slaughtered and weight of carcasses of cattle, hogs and pigs and chickens, acquisition of raw milk, acquisition of raw hide and production of hen eggs - Brazil - 1st quarter of 2026
| Animal slaughter, milk acquisition, acquisition of rawhide and production of hen eggs | 2025 | 2025 | 2026 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Q4 | Q1 | 3/1 | 3/2 | |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |||
| Number of slaughtered animals (thousand head) | |||||
| Cattle | 9 963 | 11 043 | 10 289 | 3,3 | -6,8 |
| Hogs and pigs | 14 477 | 15 286 | 15 272 | 5,5 | -0,1 |
| Chicken | 1 646 287 | 1 714 735 | 1 707 359 | 3,7 | -0,4 |
| Weight of carcasses (tonnes) | |||||
| Cattle | 2 507 463 | 2 934 955 | 2 634 899 | 5,1 | -10,2 |
| Hogs and pigs | 1 333 112 | 1 411 132 | 1 368 342 | 2,6 | -3,0 |
| Chicken | 3 489 671 | 3 650 280 | 3 734 265 | 7,0 | 2,3 |
| Milk (thousand liters) | |||||
| Acquired (raw) | 6 562 073 | 7 364 719 | 6 780 958 | 3,3 | -7,9 |
| Industrialized | 6 559 159 | 7 356 487 | 6 775 160 | 3,3 | -7,9 |
| Rawhide (thousand units) | |||||
| Acquired (raw) | 10 755 | 11 126 | 10 755 | 0,0 | -3,3 |
| Tanned | 9 521 | 9 597 | 9 182 | -3,6 | -4,3 |
| Eggs (thousand dozen) | |||||
| Production | 1 210 475 | 1 259 160 | 1 214 988 | 0,4 | -3,5 |
| Source: IBGE, Diretoria de Pesquisas, Coordenação de Estatísticas Agropecuárias, Pesquisa Trimestral do Abate de Animais, Pesquisa Trimestral do Leite, Pesquisa Trimestral do Couro e Produção de Ovos de Galinha. Notes: 1. Data from the 1st quarter of 2026 refer to the first results of the respective surveys. 2. The first results of the quarterly livestock surveys have been released only for Brazil as since the first quarter of 2018. They are early data and can be changed until the release of the results of the reference quarter. 3. The data for the year of 2025 are preliminary up to the release of the data of the first quarter of 2026. |
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Learn more about the Quarterly Survey of Animal Slaughter – ABATE:
What is the Quarterly Survey of Animal Slaughter?
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Learn more about the Quarterly Milk Survey – MILK:
What is the Quarterly Survey of Milk?
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Learn more about the Quarterly Survey of Leather – LEATHER:
What is the Quarterly Survey of Leather?
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Learn more about Hen Egg Production – POG:
What is POG?
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