LIVESTOCK HIGHLIGHTS: Top Stories of the Day
June 11 2021 - 5:26PM
Dow Jones News
TOP STORIES
McDonald's Hit by Data Breach -- 2nd Update
McDonald's Corp. said hackers stole some data from its systems
in markets including the U.S., South Korea and Taiwan, in another
example of cybercriminals infiltrating high-profile global
companies.
The burger chain said Friday that it recently hired external
consultants to investigate unauthorized activity on an internal
security system, prompted by a specific incident in which the
unauthorized access was cut off a week after it was identified,
McDonald's said. The investigators discovered that company data had
been breached in markets including the U.S., South Korea and
Taiwan, the company said.
Ransomware Attack Roiled Meat Giant JBS, Then Spilled Over to
Farmers and Restaurants
Employees at the U.S. division of JBS SA, the world's largest
meat company, noticed something wrong in their computer systems
over Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial kickoff for the busy
summer grilling season.
The culprit, a ransomware attack, didn't just hit its target --
it roiled the U.S. food industry, from hog farms in Iowa to
small-town processing plants and New York restaurants. The hack set
off a domino effect that drove up wholesale meat prices, backed up
animals in barns and forced food distributors to hurriedly search
for new suppliers.
Nathan's Famous Takes Hit From Closed, Slow-to-Reopen Venues --
Market Talk
0856 ET - Nathan's Famous says it took a hit from venues that
were closed or slow to reopen during the Covid-19 pandemic. The
hot-dog chain says its sales and income from operations for its
branded-product program were hurt because many of its customers
operate in venues such as movie theaters, professional sports
arenas, amusement parks and shopping malls. Revenue from franchise
operations also took a hit, it says. The company says seven new
franchised outlets and 130 ghost kitchens opened during fiscal
2021. The company posted 4Q earnings of 50 cents a share, compared
with 76 cents a share in the prior year. For the quarter ended
March 28, revenue fell to $18.28M from $21.71M.
(dave.sebastian@wsj.com; @depsebastian)
STORIES OF INTEREST
Industry Group Vows to Oppose Stricter Meatpacking Rules --
Market Talk
16:19 ET - The USDA's plan to propose stricter rules for
meatpackers, which the agency says will better protect farmers who
raise poultry and livestock, will run into opposition from the
North American Meat Institute, a Washington DC trade body that
represents big meat companies. The group says the ideas behind the
USDA's planned rules, including revamping the way chicken farmers
are paid and making it easier for farmers to challenge meat
processors over pay, have been rejected over and over in court and
will leave producers with fewer options on selling livestock. "They
were a bad idea in 2010, they were a bad idea in 2016, and they are
a bad idea in 2021," says Julie Anna Potts, the group's CEO.
(jacob.bunge@wsj.com; @jacobbunge)
Black Swans Show Need to Reform Meat Sector -- Market Talk
11:18 ET - Last week's cyberattack on meatpacker JBS briefly
upended business for the chicken farmers, hog producers and cattle
ranchers that supply the company's plants, but it was only the
latest in a string of disruptions that USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack
says shows the need to strengthen federal protections for farmers
and ranchers. "The pandemic and other recent events have revealed
how concentration can take a painful toll on independent farmers
and ranchers, while exposing working family consumers to higher
prices and uncertain output," says Vilsack, as the USDA says it
will propose rules ensuring farmers and ranchers are treated fairly
in their dealings with meatpackers. About a half-dozen companies
dominate the production of poultry, pork and beef in the US.
(jacob.bunge@wsj.com; @jacobbunge)
Zambeef Products 1H Profit, Revenue Rose; Warns on FX Hit
Zambeef Products PLC reported Friday a rise in pretax profit for
the first half of fiscal 2021 on higher revenue but warned over
adverse currency effects in the full year.
The Zambia-based, cold-chain food producer, which has a listing
in London, made a pretax profit of 54.9 million Zambian kwacha
($2.4 million) for the six months ended March 31, compared with
ZMW12.5 million in the year-earlier period.
FUTURES MARKETS
Hogs Drop With Hams Price Seen Slipping -- Market Talk
1502 ET - A drop in hams prices put pressure on the most-active
lean hogs contract on the CME -- with the contract finishing down
1.1% to $1.19975 per pound. "The selling is tied to a spooky quote
in the hams yesterday," says Dennis Smith of Archer Financials,
pointing to a nearly $10 per cwt drop in ham cutout prices reported
by the USDA late yesterday. Although ham prices recovered roughly
$7 per cwt by midday today to a price of $97.07 per cwt, traders
think the drop in prices could have been related to a drop in
demand from Mexico -- a prime customer for US pork. Meanwhile, live
cattle futures traded up 1.2% to $1.20025 per pound.
(kirk.maltais@wsj.com; @kirkmaltais)
CASH MARKETS
Estimated U.S. Pork Packer Margin Index - Jun 11
All figures are on a per-head basis.
Date Standard Margin Estimated margin
Operating Index at vertically -
integrated operations
Jun 11 -$ 4.84 +$128.12
Jun 10 +$ 9.85 +$131.39
Jun 9 +$ 14.53 +$132.25
* Based on Iowa State University's latest estimated cost of production.
A positive number indicates a processing margin above the cost of production of the animals.
Beef-O-Meter
This report compares the USDA's latest beef carcass composite
values as a percentage of their respective year-ago prices.
Beef
For Today Choice 143.0
(Percent of Year-Ago) Select 137.0
USDA Boxed Beef, Pork Reports
Wholesale choice-grade beef prices Friday fell 69 cents per
hundred pounds, to $337.56, according to the USDA. Select-grade
prices fell $5.19 per hundred pounds, to $305.21. The total load
count was 78. Wholesale pork prices fell $1.52, to $130.66 a
hundred pounds, based on Omaha, Neb., price quotes.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 11, 2021 17:25 ET (21:25 GMT)
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