Hog futures slip as Mexico bans some US swine imports - CME
Cattle futures ease after rally as China trade talks loom
15 May 2026
1 minute read
By: Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live cattle and feeder futures slipped on Thursday after a sharp rally in the previous session as market participants closely watched for developments at the US-China summit in Beijing, reported Reuters.
Traders said the futures market had priced in strong cash prices, which climbed this week as meatpackers competed for cattle supplies that were at a 75-year low, before coming under pressure from profit-taking and long liquidation.
CME June live cattle closed down 0.725 cent at 252.075 cents per pound. The market remains near a record-high for the front-month contract that was set last month.
CME August feeders fell 2.925 cents to 358 cents per pound after reaching a contract high of 379.450 cents on May 1.
Daily trading limits for cattle futures will expand starting June 1, according to CME.
Traders monitored a high-stakes summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, with US beef producers hoping the talks will yield a trade deal.
More than 400 US beef plants lost export eligibility over the past year as permissions that Beijing granted between March 2020 and April 2021 lapsed without customary renewal.
However, on Thursday, hours after Reuters reported the long-awaited licenses had been approved, Chinese customs appeared to have halted export clearances for hundreds of US plants.
Asked about the situation, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association said it was waiting for information from the US government.
US beef prices have set records this year amid strong consumer demand, as the cattle herd dwindled following a drought that burned grazing lands in the western US and hiked cattle feed costs. The Trump administration also halted imports of Mexican cattle to keep out the New World screwworm parasite.
In CME's lean hog market, June futures fell 1.35 cents to 99.525 cents per pound.
Mexico, the largest export market for US pork, has suspended imports of offal, breeding pigs and other swine products after US authorities detected pseudorabies virus antibodies in some hogs. The suspension excludes pork meat, trade groups said.
