US animal proteins prices were steady on Monday May 6. Limited trade was reported, with several market participants only testing prices, Fastmarkets heard.

US hog slaughter
Fastmarkets research forecasts cattle slaughter at 630,000 head in the week to Saturday May 11, down by 2.22% from the same period in 2023.

Over the next six weeks, cattle slaughter is expected to average 617,500 head per week, down by 0.69% year on year, according to Fastmarkets research.

Cattle slaughter for the week ended May 4 totaled 619,000 head, according to the USDA’s Estimated Weekly Meat Production report, in line with the corresponding week in 2023. Year-to-date cattle slaughter was at 10.768 million head, down by 4.50% year on year.

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