Cattle futures rise on Mexico import curbs, tight US supply - CME
Lean hog futures rally as meat values support prices
9 January 2026
1 minute read
By: Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) cattle futures rose on Thursday on expectations that Washington will continue to limit US imports of livestock from Mexico due to the spread of New World screwworm south of the border, Reuters reported, citing traders.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has largely blocked imports of Mexican cattle since May in a bid to keep out the flesh-eating parasite.
The agency has reported 13 cases in animals in Mexico since the beginning of the year, including one in a seven-year-old bovine in the state of Tamaulipas on January 5, according to an updated list of cases on its website. There have now been three cases reported in Tamaulipas state, which borders southern Texas, since December 26, the USDA's list showed.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said the latest case in Tamaulipas was alarming.
"The screwworm now may be moving closer on its own, with no apparent link to commercial animal movement," he said in a statement.
The USDA could not immediately be reached for comment.
The agency said last month it was working in Mexico to halt screwworm's northward spread and coordinating the release of sterile flies to combat the pest. The parasite is not present in the United States, according to the USDA's website.
If the USDA allows US imports of Mexican cattle to resume, shipments would likely be slow for months, a trader said. This would keep American supplies tight after US ranchers in recent years slashed the nation's herd to the smallest size in decades.
"If there's going to be active cases bordering the US, then they're not going to open the border anytime soon," said Austin Schroeder, commodity analyst at Brugler Marketing & Management.
CME March feeder cattle futures advanced 2.225 cents to end at 357.725 cents per pound. The contract was near an October high reached on Tuesday.
CME February live cattle futures rose 0.75 cent to 235.275 cents per pound. On Monday and Tuesday, the contract set its highest prices since late October.
Higher wholesale prices for boxed beef supported gains, traders said. Some traders added that cattle prices in the cash market could be steady to slightly higher this week.
In CME's lean hog market, February futures rallied 1.075 cents to end at 85.875 cents per pound. Prices were near an October high set on Monday.
