Brazilian raw hide production

Brazil's National Statistics Institute reports that a total of 7.8 million units of raw hide were acquired by tanneries in Brazil in the fourth quarter of last year. A total of 7.7 million units of tanned leather were processed. The report noted that because of the inclusion of new tanneries and the exclusion of others that left the business, these fourth quarter 2002 figures cannot be compared with any other quarters. The number of cattle slaughtered in Brazil in the fourth quarter of last year was 9.1% higher than in the third quarter and 12.5% higher than in the fourth quarter in 2001. A total of 5.4 million head of cattle were slaughtered in the fourth quarter of 2002.