The share of females in Brazil’s cattle slaughter is estimated to have surpassed 50% again in April, according to Datagro Pecuária. The consultancy projects that cows and heifers accounted for 50.7% of all cattle processed during the month, reinforcing a trend observed since the beginning of 2026.
The estimates follow first-quarter data released by IBGE, which showed females representing 49.9% of the 10.29 million cattle slaughtered in the country. After males accounted for a larger share of slaughter during the second half of 2025, females regained prominence this year, representing 46.9% of slaughter in January and more than 51% in both February and March.
Between January and March, Brazil slaughtered 5.14 million females, up 4.3% from the same period in 2025 and 11.1% above the previous quarter. Heifers accounted for 32.9% of that volume, totaling 1.69 million head. Male slaughter reached 5.15 million head, of which 91.7% were steers aged two years or older.
IBGE also confirmed that Brazil recorded a first-quarter slaughter record, with 10.29 million cattle processed (+3.3% year-on-year) and carcass production reaching 2.63 million tons (+5.1%).
Source: Estadão
