Traders book profits as import stoppage keeps prices high - CME

Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) cattle futures fell on Thursday after rising for four consecutive sessions, as traders booked profits and squared positions ahead of the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) monthly Cattle on Feed report due after the market's close on Friday, Reuters reported.

Industry players were expecting a bullish report, with analysts surveyed by Reuters predicting a reduction of cattle placed in feedlots and marketed compared to the same period a year ago.

CME October live cattle futures fell 0.125 cent to 234.725 cents per pound. September feeder cattle fell 0.075 cent to 358.025 cents per pound.

A historically low supply of cattle, which has been further constrained by the closure of the US-Mexico border to feeder cattle imports, has fuelled a rally in cattle futures.

Screwworm, a parasitic fly that eats livestock and wildlife alive, has moved north in Mexico toward the US border and prompted the USDA to cut off Mexican cattle imports.

The import stoppage has propelled cattle futures to new heights and helped keep beef prices high.

The choice boxed beef cutout value was last up $2.01 on Thursday afternoon at $407.86 per hundredweight (cwt), according to USDA data. The select beef cutout was up 44 cents to $383.60 per hundredweight.

Despite near-record high beef prices, there have been few signs of consumer pushback.