The number of confined cattle for finishing in Brazil is expected to grow 11.9% in 2025, according to the Benchmarking do Confina Brasil survey by Scot Consultoria. The survey covered 184 operations across 15 states, totaling 3.1 million confined animals, of which 2.6 million are destined for slaughter — an 18.4% increase compared with 2024. Just five states — Goiás, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul — account for nearly 79% of the national total.
Felipe Fabbri, Scot’s market intelligence coordinator, says that 2025 offers “the best scenario in six years for feedlot operators,” with returns above Brazil’s base interest rate. The result was driven by an improved relationship between feed costs and the price of the finished male. The average diet cost rose 12.6% (R$ 12.70/head/day), while the arroba of the “China steer” increased 37.4% in the first half and 6.3% in the second.
Lower replacement cattle prices and a more favorable exchange ratio with feed inputs reinforced profitability: between August and November, average returns per head reached 26% in MS, 17.5% in MT and 17.1% in GO. Crop–livestock integration continues to gain strength: 71.8% of feedlot operations now produce their own grain, up from 40% in 2020, improving input security and reducing costs.
For 2026, 78.8% of feedlot operators expect to increase intensive finishing volumes. Even so, Scot warns of higher replacement costs and a potential rise in corn prices in the second half of the year — factors that could narrow system margins.
