The production peak for the 481-quota window is now behind and cattle slaughter dropped by just over 3,600 head, down 8% from the previous week.
INAC reported that 43,554 cattle were processed in the week ending May 23, down 3,620 head (-8%) from the previous week and also 8% below the same week last year.
The weekly decline was mainly driven by heifers, whose slaughter fell 24% to 5,308 head, while steers and cows declined 5% to 24,673 and 12,903 head, respectively.
Compared to last year, activity has evolved differently depending on the category. While cow slaughter remains significantly below year-ago levels, down around 25%, steer slaughter has largely matched last year’s pace; in fact, 7% more steers were slaughtered in the latest week than in the same week of 2025.
The most active plants during the week were MBRF-Tacuarembó (6,678 head), Las Piedras (3,780) and Minerva-Pulsa (3,707). By company, MBRF processed 13,077 cattle across three plants, Minerva — also operating three plants — slaughtered 10,023 head, while the Urgal family processed 6,360 cattle in two plants.
With one week of data still pending for May, cattle slaughter has totaled 133,337 head so far this month, 23% below the same period last year. May is expected to close with slaughter around 175 thousand head, 48 thousand fewer than a year ago. It would mark the fifth consecutive month with lower industrial activity than in the same period of the previous year. In the first five months of the year, slaughter is down by more than 190 thousand head.
