en.Wedoany.com Reported - In April 2026, slaughterhouses in Brazil with Federal Inspection Service (SIF) certification slaughtered a total of 975.76 thousand cows and calves, marking the lowest level for April since 2023. This represents a decrease of 10.94% compared to March 2026 and a year-on-year decline of 13.94%. Agrifatto consulting firm stated: "This is the fourth consecutive month of year-on-year decline, and market participants are closely monitoring this trend," noting that it signals an impending turning point in the livestock cycle—entering a phase of rising prices.

However, the slaughter volume of female cattle remains at historically high levels: the average slaughter volume for April over the past five years was 823.12 thousand head, and this month's result is 18.54% higher than this reference value. Agrifatto compared: "But the key lies in the slowdown of growth: in April 2025, this difference had reached 37.74%." Consequently, the share of female cattle in total slaughter for April 2026 fell to 42.53%, down 1.61 percentage points from March and down 4.78 percentage points from April last year.

Male cattle slaughter reached 1.31 million head, a month-on-month decrease of 4.9%, but an increase of 4.43% compared to April 2025. In total, including both female and male cattle, the number of cattle slaughtered by SIF-certified establishments in April 2026 dropped to 2.29 million head, a reduction of 7.57% from March 2026 and a contraction of 4.26% from April 2025.

According to Agrifatto's observation, May is historically a period for the seasonal culling of female cattle, and this cyclical progression is expected to push the month's slaughter volume above the previous month's level. Agrifatto analysts emphasized: "Therefore, the seasonal peak in May does not contradict the underlying trend: after two consecutive years of record slaughter volumes driven by heavy female cattle culling, Brazil's livestock industry is in a transition period," adding that the sector is gradually entering a phase of herd retention and rebuilding.

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