Prime Lamb & Sheep

Total Yarding: 4639

Numbers slipped and the quality improved. There were good lines of heavy trade and heavy lambs and limited numbers of light and medium trade lambs. Competition was strong especially for short skin lambs. The lift in quality and larger drafts of lambs resulted in dearer prices.

The light 2 score processing lambs sold from $80 to $118/head. Medium and heavy trade lambs to 24kg cwt sold $8 to $10 dearer and ranged from $142 to $196/head averaging 730c to 780c/kg with the best lambs over 800c/kg cwt. Heavy lambs 24 to 26kg gained $6 and ranged from $155 to $198/head. The 26 to 30kg lambs sold from $173 to $218 and extra heavy weights reached $222/head averaging 650c to 680c/kg cwt. Best priced hogget reached $182/head.

Mutton numbers were similar and the quality mixed. Not all the usual buyers operated and the market eased $10 to $20/head. Medium weight ewes sold from $90 to $127/head, heavy crossbred ewes $160 to $171 and bare shorn Merino wethers reached $168 and long skins $172/head.

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

Photo: 63 XB Lambs sold for $210ph by Peter Brown, Elders on behalf of TEF Hughes, Bannister.