1.   Also, hog supplies are increasing, allowing meatpackers to pay less for the market-ready animals.

2.   At the same time, cattle supplies are expected to be plentiful through the summer, limiting the prices paid by meatpackers for available animals.

3.   Cattle futures rose on speculation that wholesale beef prices may have ended a three-month slide, allowing meatpackers to pay higher prices for animals.

4.   That lowered prices paid by meatpackers in the cash market.

5.   That decline means meatpackers will pay more for a smaller pool of cattle.

6.   The increased supply has lowered the price meatpackers pay for cattle, which is weighing on futures prices, traders said.

7.   The seasonal increase in supplies will enable meatpackers to pay less for available animals.

8.   The law requires meatpackers to pay the same prices for the cattle they buy and to make the prices public.