Prime Lamb & Sheep

Total Yarding: 7077

Limited yarding of just 3800 lambs and 3200 sheep for the first sale of the New Year. Quality was plain with very few properly finished trade lambs and no heavy exports available. The bulk of the offering was crossbred store lambs of various breed quality and condition. Not all the regular buyers were back operating, and store buying activity was also quieter than pre-Christmas.

The few genuine processing lambs above 24kg and with fat cover were firm to dearer, but on limited quotes. Store lambs were mostly cheaper by $5 to $10/head, with the plainest the most affected.

Shorn lambs sold to $209 for an estimated 27kg cwt, while the best unshorn young lambs sold to $207. Once under 24kg cwt most trade lambs to processors sold in a range of $150 to $185/head. Light lambs showing frame and growth $117 to $140, with the 18-20kg cwt types averaging $130 to the paddock. Smallest store lambs and mixed lots $68 to $115.

The sheep offering was dominated by crossbred ewes, and prices results were generally within a few dollars of late last year. The heaviest crossbred ewes $115 to $132; the middle run of sheep varied from $80 to $115; and light sheep sold down to $54.

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

Photo: 15 Australian White Suckers sold for $209.6ph by Delta Livestock on behalf of J Walker.