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Tyson braces for lower 2006 earnings

Tyson Foods Inc., is speculating a lower-than expected profit margin in 2006. According to Tyson, the beef export business is slowly recovering from the 2003 mad cow scare.

The results and forecast drove shares of the No. 1 U.S. meat company down 8.92 percent Monday on the New York Stock Exchange. U.S. beef exports, including Tyson`s, continued to be banned by many countries, including Japan, once the top overseas buyer, since the first U.S. case of mad cow disease was discovered in 2003.

For the fourth quarter, earnings rose to $98 million, or 28 cents a share, in the quarter that ended October 1, from $66 million, or 19 cents, a year ago.