Feeder cattle futures in Chicago surged to a record high on Monday after U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced an immediate suspension of live cattle, horse, and bison imports from southern border land ports. The move comes in response to the spread of the flesh-eating New World Screwworm (NWS) in Mexico—a parasitic threat deemed a national security risk due to its potential to devastate already tight U.S. cattle supplies.
“Due to the threat of New World Screwworm I am announcing the suspension of live cattle, horse, & bison imports through U.S. southern border ports of entry effective immediately,” Rollins wrote on X.
She warned: “The last time this devastating pest invaded America, it took 30 years for our cattle industry to recover. This cannot happen again.”
🚨Due to the threat of New World Screwworm I am announcing the suspension of live cattle, horse, & bison imports through U.S. southern border ports of entry effective immediately.
The last time this devastating pest invaded America, it took 30 years for our cattle industry to…
— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) May 11, 2025
“The protection of our animals and safety of our nation’s food supply is a national security issue of the utmost importance. Once we see increased surveillance and eradication efforts, and the positive results of those actions, we remain committed to opening the border for livestock trade. This is not about politics or punishment of Mexico, rather it is about food and animal safety,” Rollins wrote in a press release.
She said NWS has been detected in remote farms with minimal cattle movement around Oaxaca and Veracruz—about 700 miles away from the U.S.-Mexico border.
Via Breeauna Sagdal, Senior Writer and Research Fellow at The Beef Initiative…
Import restrictions sent feeder cattle futures to a record high of $3.05 per pound in Chicago. Contracts are up more than 15% this year.
“Futures markets are likely to begin pricing in greater supply risk for later in the year,” analysts from Steiner Consulting Group wrote in a note to clients.
At the start of the year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) annual Cattle Inventory report revealed that the nation’s cattle supply had fallen to a 73-year low, totaling about 86.6 million head.
At the supermarket, USDA data from the end of March showed that the average price for a pound of ground beef reached another record high of $5.79.
During last week’s earnings call, Tyson Foods executive Brady Stewart, who oversees the company’s beef and pork supply chains, suggested the U.S. cattle herd may be nearing a bottom—potentially signaling the start of a rebuilding cycle. However, Tyson has not yet updated its guidance following the import restrictions imposed on Sunday.
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Tyler Durden
Mon, 05/12/2025 – 16:40
