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LIVESTOCK-CME lean hogs lower, livestock blended ahead of possible port strike

Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures closed mainly lower on Monday on seasonal prices pressure, while cattle futures ended mixed as traders waited for updates of a possible labor strike at U.S. ports, experts said.

Any shuttering of ports might make U.S. beef and pork exports less competitive on the worldwide market, experts said.

For the beef sector, the labor fight is especially ill-timed, as livestock exports have shown indications of cooling over the past couple weeks, said Don Roose, president of U.S. Products.

The question individuals are asking is how rapidly such a fight would settle, due to the fact that we 'd need it settled pretty darn quick, Roose said.

U.S. East and Gulf Coast port employees are set to go on strike as soon as Tuesday at 12:01 a.m. ET, without any talks presently set up to avoid an interruption threatening to halt container traffic from Maine to Texas and cost the economy billions daily.

The labor agreement in between the International Longshoremen's. Association (ILA) union representing 45,000 port employees and the. United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) company group ends. late Monday, with negotiations at an impasse over pay.

The conflict might impact availability of a range of items. from bananas and meat to automobiles and heavy machinery shipped by means of. container, while producing weeks-long stockpiles at ports.

CME December lean hog futures settled down 0.100. cent at 73.275 cents per pound and February hogs ended. down 0.125 cent at 77.375 cents.

CME live cattle futures closed higher on Monday. Standard. December live cattle settled up 0.325 cent at 184.800. cents per pound. CME November feeder cattle futures. fell, calming down 0.800 cent at 244.900 cents per pound.

The USDA priced choice cuts of boxed beef on Monday morning. at $297.47 per hundredweight

(source: Reuters)