Cattle stabilise after avian influenza shakes markets – CME
6 May 2024
2 minute read
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) cattle futures stabilised on Friday after US testing of ground beef samples for H5N1 avian influenza fuelled wild swings, but markets still closed lower for the week, reported Reuters.
Live cattle and feeder cattle futures had rallied on Thursday after the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said the samples from retail stores tested negative for the virus. On Wednesday, the markets had tumbled over concerns that a potential positive test would slash consumer demand.
The USDA has confirmed bird flu in dairy herds in nine states since late March. Old dairy cattle are often processed into ground beef.
“Today clearly showed even the computer algorithms were exhausted after the volatility and headlines the markets have faced this week,” said Ross Baldwin, hedge strategist for AgMarket.Net.
CME June live cattle futures finished down 0.125 cent at 176.675 cents per pound on Friday and lost about 1.1% for the week. August feeder cattle dipped 0.475 cent to end at 254.75 cents and were down about 2.2% for the week.
The USDA is still performing two other safety studies on beef related to H5N1 but says meat supplies are safe. On Monday, it began requiring lactating dairy cattle to test negative for the virus before being shipped across state lines.
One person, a Texas dairy farm worker, has been infected with H5N1 in the current outbreak. He was not wearing respiratory or eye protection and had been exposed to cattle that appeared to have the same symptoms as those in a nearby farm with a confirmed outbreak of the virus, according to new details on the case released on Friday.
In CME’s lean hog market, June futures slipped 0.975 cent to close at 98.95 cents per pound and reached the lowest price since March 22.
The USDA quoted the wholesale pork carcass cutout at $98.12 per cwt, up $0.24 from Thursday, while belly values sank $4.08 to $116.85 per cwt.
