Brazil’s agricultural sector achieved historic milestones in 2025, with key segments like beef, poultry, and pork recording unprecedented slaughter volumes. This robust performance underscores a sustained period of growth across various livestock and dairy industries, solidifying the nation’s position as a global leader in food production. The upward trend, evident since 2022 in some areas, culminated in a year of exceptional output, pushing previous benchmarks aside and signaling strong market dynamics.
Livestock industries, a cornerstone of the national economy, witnessed substantial expansion throughout the year. The continuous growth reflects strong domestic demand and an active export market, driven by favorable conditions and strategic investments.
This remarkable surge was not confined to meat production alone; dairy and egg sectors also reported record-breaking figures, indicating broad-based prosperity across the agricultural landscape.
Beef and poultry lead historic surge
Cattle slaughter reached an all-time high in 2025, with 42.98 million heads processed. This figure represents a significant 8.2% increase compared to 2024, continuing a notable growth trajectory observed since 2022. The volume marks the highest number ever recorded in the country’s statistical history, surpassing the previous record set in 2024.
The poultry industry also experienced a record-breaking year, with 6.69 billion chickens slaughtered. This performance added an impressive 201.34 million heads to the total, an increase of 4.3% over the figures from 2024, reflecting robust demand and efficient production cycles.
Pork, milk, and eggs sustain impressive growth
Pork production likewise achieved its best-ever performance, with 60.69 million heads slaughtered in 2025. This record underscores the ongoing expansion and modernization within the swine farming sector, meeting both domestic consumption and international market needs.
The acquisition of raw milk collectively reached 27.51 billion liters, marking an 8.5% increase compared to 2024’s production. This represents the third consecutive year of growth, establishing a new historical benchmark for the dairy sector’s performance.
Chicken egg production also saw record highs in 2025, extending a remarkable 28-year growth streak. A total of 4.95 billion dozens were produced, an increase of 5.7% over the previous year, highlighting the sustained strength and productivity of the nation’s egg industry.
Leather production reflects cattle industry expansion
Mirroring the trends in other livestock sectors, tanneries recorded the acquisition of 44.03 million whole pieces of raw bovine leather in 2025. This volume represents the highest number ever reported in the historical series, demonstrating a substantial 9.8% increase compared to the previous survey.
The consistent rise in raw leather acquisitions directly correlates with the elevated levels of cattle slaughter, indicating a healthy and interconnected supply chain from farm to finished product. This upward movement reflects strong industrial demand and utilization of bovine by-products.
Fourth quarter of 2025 sees mixed but strong results
The final quarter of 2025 presented a complex yet overall positive picture across key agricultural segments. Beef slaughter increased by 14%, chicken by 5.7%, and pork by 5.8% when compared to the same period in 2024, illustrating significant year-over-year gains. However, a closer look at sequential quarterly performance reveals some fluctuations; only chicken slaughter saw an increase (1.5%) compared to the third quarter, while bovine processing experienced a 2.7% reduction, and pig slaughter decreased by 3.5% over the same preceding three-month period.
Sectoral performance in detail for Q4
For bovine slaughter, the 14% rise from the fourth quarter of 2024 was a strong finish to the year. Despite this annual gain, a slight dip of 2.7% was observed when compared to the third quarter of 2025.
Chicken processing showcased consistent momentum, recording a 5.7% increase against the fourth quarter of 2024. Furthermore, it was the only major meat sector to register sequential growth, moving up 1.5% from the third quarter of 2025.
The swine industry demonstrated robust growth of 5.8% compared to the final quarter of 2024. Yet, it followed the trend of bovine slaughter with a 3.5% decrease when measured against the preceding third quarter.
Egg production maintained its upward trajectory, with 1.26 billion dozens produced in the fourth quarter. This marks a 4.1% increase over the same period in 2024 and a modest 1.5% growth from the third quarter of 2025.
Quarterly dairy acquisition reaches new peaks
Raw milk acquisition in the fourth quarter of 2025 reached an unprecedented 7.36 billion liters. This volume represents the highest quarterly acquisition since the inception of the historical series in 1997, underscoring a remarkable achievement for the dairy industry. This figure also shows an 8.6% increase compared to the same quarter in 2024 and a 3.9% rise from the third quarter of 2025.