Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 3/10/15

U.S. spot chicken and beef packer margins both continued to move to higher levels last week, while pork packer margins continued to deteriorate, according to one industry analyst.

Brett M. Hundley at BB&T Capital Markets said in a report that higher pricing mixed with lower feed costs combined to send chicken margins on the uptick.

Average beef packer margins continued to improve last week with profitability averaging nearly $10 per head, Hundley reported. The figure contrasts sharply with the average loss of $45 per head in the previous week and a loss of nearly $45 per head in the same period last year.

Average pork packer margins continued to deteriorate, Hundley reported, down to a loss of $12 per head compared with a slight loss in the previous week. Margins were profitable at $16 per head in the same period last year, he noted.

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