MBRF's feedlot unit aims to slaughter 306,000 cattle by 2027

MFG Agropecuária, a cattle-feeding company owned by MBRF Global Foods, plans to slaughter around 306,000 cattle in 2027 by focusing on its remaining six feedlots. The target follows the exit from two leased units in Pereira Barreto, São Paulo, and Campo Verde, Mato Grosso, at the end of 2025 due to commercial negotiations.

The company reached peak slaughter volumes of 328,000 head in 2024 and 322,980 in 2025 across eight sites. After surrendering the two leased facilities, total static capacity fell to 102,000 cattle. For 2026, MFG expects to slaughter between 255,000 and 265,000 animals, supported by strong third-party demand in its partnership model. By 2027, the company aims to run three cycles per year through its 102,000-head static structure, up from 2.5 cycles previously, according to executive feedlot manager Wagner Lopes in an interview with Broadcast Agro on 9 October 2026.

MFG retains one leased unit in Sabino, São Paulo, owned by the Bertin family, where static capacity expanded from 18,000 to 21,000 cattle in 2026. Over the next two years, owned facility expansions will take Tangará da Serra, Mato Grosso, from 21,000 to 30,000 head, and Campo Novo do Parecis, Mato Grosso, from 26,000 to 30,000 head. The company is using automated feeding, electronic identification, and cameras to lift finished cattle weight from 20 to 21 arrobas.

Rising lean cattle costs make up 70% to 80% of total feedlot operating expenses. Feedlot occupancy remains fully booked through October despite lower beef exports to China, as beef cattle futures for January 2027 trade near 400 Brazilian reais per arroba under China's tariff-free import quota of 1.128 million tonnes. MFG offers price hedging tools to cattle partners, permitting cash advances of up to 70% of cattle value for restocking.