Prime Lamb & Sheep

Total Yarding: 12,503

Lamb numbers were up and the quality was similar with plenty of lambs lacking cover, weight and finish. Pens of prime finished lambs were limited and the buyers were keener to purchase shorn lambs for both the trade and to return to the paddock. Quality was the driver with the plainer lambs and store lambs slipping $4 to $6 and the neatly shorn trade and heavy weights firm.

Restocking lambs to 20kg sold from $121 to $138/head. Trade lambs 20 to 22kg ranged from $121 for 2 score lambs to $169/head for 3 scores. The 22 to 24kg lambs ranged from $162 to $182/head and averaged 750c to 780c/kg cwt and the 24 to 26kg sold from $173 to $200/head and averaged close to 800c for the shorn lambs. Heavy weights sold from $200 to $210/head. The best for hoggets was $160/head.

Mutton numbers were similar and quality more on the plain side. Prices were firm to $3 cheaper with the medium weight ewes $54 to $108 and heavy crossbred ewes $108 to $135/head Merinos reached $115/head.

Market Report: MLA’s National Livestock Reporting Service. Click here to download full market report.

Photo: 24 XB Lambs sold for $210ph by Jim Hindmarsh & Son on behalf of J Lyons, Braidwood.