According to the Brazilian Institute of Geographic and Statistics (IBGE) quarterly survey, Brazilian cattle slaughter during the first quarter of 2014 rose 2.9 per cent year-on-year, to 8.36 million head, but was down 5.9 per cent on the previous quarter.
Analysts at Meat and Livestock Australia said that the rise continued to be driven by the strong international demand and steady domestic consumption, which also kept steer prices high throughout the period.
There was a rise in cattle slaughter across most regions in Brazil, with Minas Gerais, Goiás and Pará state registering large increases. In contrast, Mato Grosso state slaughter declined 3.4 per cent for the period, but still remained the major beef producer in the country.
Female slaughter represented 46.9 per cent of the total, which is typically higher for this time of the year, when producers discard unproductive cows to fulfil contract commitments.
According to IPCA/IBGE (Consumer Price Index – Brazilian inflation official indicator), during the first quarter of 2014, almost all beef cuts registered prices increase above inflation, with the exception of brisket.
