The number of cattle slaughtered in 2020 fell 8.5% compared to 2019. In total, 29.7 million head under some type of federal, state or municipal health inspection service were slaughtered. The decline comes after three years of growth. Because of that, the result returns to the level of 2016 (29.7 million). In 2017, there were 30.8 million; in 2018, 32 million; and in 2019, 32.4 million cattle head.
The only month of 2020 with high compared to 2019 was June, with 68.6 thousand head more than in the same month of the previous year, while the sharpest fall was seen in April (382.6 thousand less head). The data are from the Livestock Production Statistics, released today ( March 18) by the IBGE.Livestok
“We are in the so-called high cycle in cattle farming after a period of low production. The arroba has risen in price, the calf, one of the main production inputs, is scarce and highly valued. It means that whoever has a female animal, keeps it as a breeder”, explains the survey supervisor, Bernardo Viscardi.
Despite the reduction in slaughter, fresh beef exports reached an unprecedented level in 2020, according to the Ministry of Economy's Foreign Trade Secretariat. The devaluation of the Real makes Brazilian beef more competitive in the foreign market. For slaughterhouses that export is an advantage, but this is not the reality of most Brazilian establishments”, adds Mr. Viscardi.
In the 4th quarter of 2020, 7.3 million cattle head were slaughtered, down 9.6% compared to the same period in 2019, which means it was the worst 4th quarter since 2010. In addition, the result is 5.5% lower than the 3rd quarter of 2020.
The survey shows that in state terms, 24 of the 27 Federation Units showed a drop, the most expressive in Mato Grosso (573.6 thousand less head), Mato Grosso do Sul (346.1 thousand less head), in Bahia (237.2 thousand less heads) and in Goiás (220.3 thousand less head). The only state with more than 1% of participation in the slaughter of cattle to record a high was Santa Catarina (59.5 thousand more head). Even so, Mato Grosso continues to lead the cattle slaughter ranking, with 17.1% of the national participation, followed by Mato Grosso do Sul (10.9%) and São Paulo (10.5%).
Slaughter of chickens and hogs and pigs continues to rise and reaches record levels
On the other hand, the IBGE survey shows that, in 2020, the slaughter of chickens and hogs and pigs kept the upward trend. On the rise since 2005, the slaughter of hogs and pigs grew 6.4% in 2020, totaling 49.3 million slaughtered head, which represents a new record. Since 1997, the beginning of the time series, only in the transition from 2003 to 2004 was there no growth in activity. There was increase in all months in the comparison between 2020 and 2019, with the highest result being in June (568.3 thousand more head).
In the 4th quarter of 2020 alone, 12.50 million head of hogs and pigs were slaughtered, an increase of 4.9% compared to the same period in 2019, best Q4 result of the time series (1997). Mr. Viscardi explains that 2020 presented record exports of pork in natura, since the foreign market had a very high demand, due, to a great extent, to the African Swine Fever that considerably reduced the Chinese herd. “And, in the domestic market, pork is one of the alternatives to beef, contributing to the record result of slaughter”, adds the analyst.
Among the states, there was an increase in 11 of the 25 Federation Units that are part of the survey, with a highlight to Santa Catarina (1.68 million more head), Paraná (727.7 thousand more head), Minas Gerais (275.7 thousand more head), Mato Grosso do Sul (207.7 thousand more head) and Mato Grosso (187.1 thousand more head). The main falls were in Rio Grande do Sul (79.0 thousand less head), in Goiás (34.6 thousand less head) and in São Paulo (4.4 thousand less head). The state of Santa Catarina was the leader in the slaughter of pigs in 2020, with 28.8% of the national slaughter, followed by Paraná (20.2%) and Rio Grande do Sul (16.9%).
Chicken slaughter grew 3.3% and reached 6 billion head, a new record in the time series. Comparing the months of 2020 and 2019, there were reductions in May (29 million less head) and August (177 thousand less head). Among the highs, March (61.7 million more head) and December (53.2 million more head) stand out.
The survey shows that in the 4th quarter of 2020, 1.6 billion chickens were slaughtered, a new record for the time series (1997) in all quarters and an increase of 5.6% in relation to the same period of 2019 and of 2.6% compared to the previous quarter.
“They are cheaper than the other proteins. As there was no export highlight, we conclude that a large part of this increase in slaughter was destined for domestic consumption ", says Mr. Viscardi.
Among the 25 states cataloged by the survey, there was increase in chicken slaughter in 18, with a highlight to Paraná (115.5 million more head), Mato Grosso do Sul (21.8 million more head), Minas Gerais (19.5 million more head), São Paulo (16.8 million more head), Goiás (8.6 million more head), Bahia (7.9 million more head), Pernambuco (5.9 million more head), Santa Catarina (2.7 million more head) and Rio Grande do Sul (1.4 million more head). The main falls occurred in Mato Grosso (11.1 million less head) and in Pará (5.6 million less head). As a result, Paraná continued to lead the list of states that slaughtered the most chickens in 2020, with 33.4% of national participation, followed by Santa Catarina (13.7%) and by Rio Grande do Sul (13, 6%).
Egg production grows 3% and reaches record level
The survey also shows that hen egg production totaled 3.96 billion dozen in 2020, up 3% from 2019, influenced by the increased consumption of the product in the midst of the recession due to the pandemic, as explained by Mr. Viscardi. “This is a more affordable protein compared to meat. On the other hand, there was a significant increase in the sector's production costs”, he says.
The acquisition of milk, on the other hand, increased by 2.1%, reaching 25.5 billion liters. The result continues the sequence of increases, observed since 2017, and represents a record for the annual cumulative index in the time series. "The year 2020 was marked by variations in the demand for dairy products, influenced by the restrictions imposed by social isolation due to Covid-19 and by the appreciation of milk, coupled with the increase in the production costs of the sector", concludes the analyst.