These three year-old Merino ewes scanned in-lamb to White Suffolk rams at Brewarrina, NSW, sold for $170 on AuctionsPlus last week.

CLEARANCES improved at lower price levels within a larger commercial sheep and lamb offering on AuctionsPlus last week.

The sheep and lamb listings on on the online marketplace lifted last week to 77,636 head after a string of disrupted weeks has impacted offerings, AuctionsPlus said.

There was more normal marketing activity with the return to a full trading week and the overall clearance rate rose 11pc to 56pc.

The value over reserve (VOR) also increased by $3 on last week to $10. However, prices for most categories were lower, suggesting that vendors have adjusted reserves lower, AuctionsPlus said.

AuctionsPlus cleared 83pc of the 19,472 crossbred lambs offered at an average price of $98/head, $25 lower than the previous week. Prices ranged from $55-$143. At Walcha in New South Wales, 639 October/November 2022 drop White Suffolk/Composite cross mixed sex lambs weighing 40kg lwt sold for $124 to a central west NSW buyer.

Just 53pc of the 7019 Merino wether lambs offered were sold, for an average of $69, $11 lower, and cents/kg prices also fell by 22 cents to 192c/kg lwt. At Joel South in Victoria, 127 August 2022 drop Merino wether lambs returned the joint highest price of $105, also exceeding the reserve price by $30. The store wether lambs averaged 44kg lwt and sold to a buyer at Loxton in South Australia.

AuctionsPlus sold 40pc of the 11,800 scanned in-lamb Merino ewes offered for from $110-$230 and an average of $151, up $10. At Horsham in Victoria, two even lines of 160 rising two year-old Merino scanned in-lamb ewes sold for the top price of $230, and both lines exceeded the reserve by $70. The Roseville Park blood ewes averaged 57kg lwt, and were scanned in-lamb to White Suffolk rams.

Only 34pc of the 2169 shedding breed ewes offered sold, from $110-$274 and an average of $151, up $21. At Bathurst in NSW, 13 22 month-old Australian White ewe hoggets made the top price of $274. The ewe hoggets averaged 60kg lwt and sold to a central west NSW buyer.

Note: Prices as at 5pm Thursday, 4th May 2023

Source – AuctionsPlus.