This is a subscriber-only article
Thirteen per cent of Brazilian beef cattle for finishing are fattened at feedlots, with over 5m cattle fattened in feedlots in 2018.
The number of cattle in feedlots is on the rise and it is expected that 20% of Brazilian cattle will be fattened in feedlots by 2020, with beef production in the South American country forecast to rise 2.6% year-on-year to 2021.
Last week, the Irish Farmers Journal visited a feedlot owned by Manoel Henrique in Palmeira, Parana state, where he is paid to fatten bulls for other farmers as well as his own.
The feedlot has a capacity for 500 head and at the moment 300 cattle are being fattened there.
The cattle arrive to the feedlot at 350kg and are fattened for five to six months until they leave at 600kg. He has a range of breeds – Zebu crosses, Hereford crosses and Angus crosses.
The cattle are fed on a diet of barley silage, corn silage, protein nuts and soya hulls and have an average daily weight gain of 1.1kg to 1.2kg.
All the cattle are vaccinated against foot-and-mouth disease, with younger stock also vaccinated against symptomatic anthrax.
Henrique said that antibiotics are only used in specific cases following an injury or if cattle go down with an infection. He said there is no blanket use of antibiotics or hormones on the farm.
“We also used abamectin, ivermectin, and cypermethrin to control parasites every 90 days. We do not have serious problems with acidosis at the moment,” he said.
Henrique is paid for 75% of the cattle’s weight gain and is paid BRL10/kg (€2.30c/kg) liveweight for them. The remaining 25% goes to the farmer he bought them off. He sells them on to a local supermarket which has its own abattoir.
Amy Forde is reporting from Brazil as part of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) Exposure-4-Development tour.
SHARING OPTIONS: