Cattle slaughter registered an 8.2% increase, reaching 42.94 million head slaughtered in 2025, 3.25 million more than the previous year. This is the highest result obtained in the history of the survey, surpassing that of 2024, until then the highest value in the series. All quarters of 2025 showed positive change in relation to the respective periods of the previous year. The data are from the complete results of the Quarterly Survey of Animal Slaughter in the cumulative total of 2025, released today (18) by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). Pig and chicken slaughter also registered records with 60.69 million head of hogs and pigs, an increase of 4.3% compared to 2024, and 6.69 billion head of chickens, an increase of 3.1% compared to the previous year.

According to Angela Lordão, Livestock Manager at the IBGE, the slaughter of female cattle stood out in 2025. “The cattle sector was marked by the highest volume of slaughter and carcass production in the entire time series. One of the determining factors was the participation of females, which reached a record 46.8% and even surpassed the slaughter of males in the second quarter. This scenario, favored by record exports and strong domestic demand, resulted in better prices for the sector. In addition, there was a significant increase in the slaughter of young animals up to 2 years old, especially heifers, which represented 78% of the 8.4 million head registered in this category,” she explained.

Increases in cattle slaughter were recorded in 25 of the 27 Federation Units. The most significant increases, with a 1.0% or greater share, occurred in: São Paulo (+629,220 head), Pará (+472,770 head), Rondônia (+364,430 head), Goiás (+244,870 head), Mato Grosso (+199,210 head), and Mato Grosso do Sul (+175,090 head).

Pig and chicken slaughter reaches new records in the time series

The slaughter of hogs and pigs reached 60.69 million head in 2025, an increase of 4.3% (+2.51 million head) compared to 2024, establishing a new record in the time series since 1997. In 15 of the 26 Federation Units participating in the survey, there was growth in the slaughter of hogs and pigs last year. Santa Catarina maintained its leadership among the states, with 28.2% of the national slaughter, followed by Paraná (21.2%) and Rio Grande do Sul (17.9%).

Angela Lordão highlighted exports and the balance of producers' margins. “The performance was sustained by record pork exports, with the Philippines as the main destination, absorbing 25.8% of the shipped volume. Simultaneously, in the domestic market, despite record supply, protein prices remained steady and at high levels. This scenario, combined with reduced feed costs and a bumper grain harvest, allowed for balanced margins and encouraged the sector throughout the year.”

Chicken slaughter also reached a new record in the time series, with 6.69 billion head slaughtered in 2025, an increase of 3.1% (+201.34 million) compared to 2024. In 23 of the 26 Federation Units participating in the survey, there was growth in chicken slaughter last year. Among the states, Paraná continued to lead in 2025, with 34.4% of the national share, followed by Santa Catarina (13.7%), Rio Grande do Sul (11.4%), and then São Paulo (11.3%).

According to the survey manager, despite the challenges during the year, the organization of the sector allowed the surplus production to be sold off smoothly. "Despite the impacts of avian flu, the domestic market efficiently absorbed production, while Brazil rapidly resumed its sanitary status to normalize foreign trade. Chicken slaughter reached a record 6.69 billion head and, even with occasional embargoes, the volume of exports exceeded that registered in 2024, reaching a new record."

Cattle and pig slaughter falls in Q4 while chicken slaughter increases

Cattle slaughter in the 4th quarter of 2025, at 11.04 million head, fell by 2.7% compared to the previous quarter. This amount was 14.0% higher than that obtained in the 4th quarter of 2024. The slaughter of hogs and pigs reached 15.29 million head in the 4th quarter of 2025, an increase of 5.8% compared to the same period in 2024 and a decrease of 3.5% compared to the 3rd quarter of 2025. Chicken slaughter reached 1.71 billion head in the 4th quarter of 2025, a growth of 5.7% compared to the same period in 2024. Compared to the 3rd quarter of 2025, the increase was 1.5%.

Hen egg production hits new record in time series

Hen egg production reached 4.95 billion dozen in 2025, an increase of 5.7% compared to the previous year. The total is a record production in the time series. The sector has been hiting records in the cumulative annual egg production recorded by the survey since 1998. More than half of the farms, 1,179 (54.1%), produced eggs for consumption, accounting for 82.4% of the total eggs produced, while 1,000 farms (45.9%) produced eggs for incubation, accounting for 17.6% of the total eggs produced.

In the 4th quarter of 2025, hen egg production reached 1.26 billion dozen, an increase of 4.1% compared to the same quarter in 2024 and growth of 1.5% over that recorded in the immediately preceding quarter.

Milk acquisition in 2025 was the highest in history

Dairies operating under some type of sanitary inspection service collected 27.51 billion liters in 2025, an increase of 8.5% over the amount recorded in 2024. The year 2025 was the third of growth in milk acquisition, after two consecutive years of decline, and represented the highest acquisition in history when compared to the previous year.

All records began in 1997. Considering production throughout 2025, the average price per liter of milk purchased was around R$ 2.56, a decrease of 1.9% compared to the average price of purchases in 2024 (R$ 2.61). In the 4th quarter of 2025, the purchase of raw milk was 7.36 billion liters, an increase of 8.6% compared to the 4th quarter of 2024, and an increase of 3.9% compared to the preceding quarter. Marcelo Souza de Oliveira, supervisor of the survey, details that the jump in milk production in 2025 was the largest ever seen in the time series of the survey. “In the acquisition of raw milk by industries, the increase of 2.15 billion liters between 2024 and 2025 was the largest ever recorded in the time series of the survey, surpassing the previous growth record (2004/2005), which was 1.79 billion liters.” Angela Lordão adds that “all Major Regions showed an increase, with particular emphasis on the South and Northeast, which expanded their participation. However, this surge in supply, added to the imported volume, put pressure on producer prices.”

In 2025, the tanneries surveyed by the Quarterly Survey of Leather reported receiving 44.03 million whole pieces of bovine rawhide. This quantity was a record for the survey, 9.8% higher than that recorded in the previous year. In the fourth quarter of 2025, tanneries reported receiving 11.13 million pieces of leather, an increase of 11.8% compared to the same quarter of the previous year and a decrease of 2.4% compared to the previous quarter. Following the trend of meat processing plants, the Quarterly Survey of Leather revealed that leather acquisition by tanneries followed the record of cattle slaughter. "The volume processed in 2025 surpassed the previous record, which had stood since 2006, reflecting the high availability of raw materials in the national market," highlighted Angela Lordão.

Learn more about the Quarterly Survey of Animal Slaughter – SLAUGHTER:

What is the Quarterly Survey of Animal Slaughter?
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Learn more about the Quarterly Survey of Milk – 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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