HEAVY and trade lamb prices continued at high though slightly reduced carcase weight levels this week, and although some centres managed records for 30kg-plus lines, other categories lost ground, mainly on quality.

Extra heavy lamb centre price records set this week included $399 at Dubbo, $425 at Horsham and a new Victorian record of $428 at Ballarat.

Lamb and sheep yardings continue to decline at most saleyard centres and quality is increasingly an issue among slaughter lambs, with not all potential export and domestic buyers attending all sales.

Rough weather also disrupted shipping and the transport of lambs from Tasmania, missing two days of scheduled kills on the mainland and forcing supermarket buyers into saleyards to get supplies.

Top Bendigo lambs make $390

At Bendigo on Monday, Meat and Livestock Australia’s National Livestock Reporting Service said two major exporters and a top end domestic buyer were absent from the quality-driven sale.

The top runs of grain-fed 30kg-plus cwt lambs sold to $390 and some strong supermarket competition pushed the best heavy trades to $315. Heavy export lambs sold from $309-$390, or an estimated 1050-1080c/kg, with a southern meatworks that doesn’t always buy the heaviest lead stock stepping into the market. Heavy 26-30kg lambs made $260-$330 and the best heavy trades $255-$315.

The NLRS said the best lines of processing lambs over 24kg cwt sold from 1000-1100c/kg cwt, with select pens of very neat trade lambs at 1100-1200c/kg. Plainer crossbred trade lambs made 920-1000c/kg. The lead grain-fed Merino lambs made 900-1000c/kg, or $214-$260, but plainer types with less weight and finish slipped in value, and trade weight lambs with less fat cover and weight made mostly $160-$205, the NLRS said. Light and medium trade lambs under 24kg off grass sold at $185-$240 to often trend under 1000c/kg cwt.

Restockers and feeders paid from $155 to $194 for the better bred and framed lambs to feed on. Some lines of very light conditioned and mixed breed small lambs at $46 to $130/head.

New Dubbo lamb record of $399

At Dubbo on Monday, the NLRS said a new centre record of $399 was set for a pen of 30kg-plus lambs.

The NLRS said not all the regular buyers were present with major export processor, Fletcher International Exports, closed for maintenance.

Trade lambs were $9 cheaper with 20-24kg lines making $175-$266, or 9851020c/kg cwt. Heavy weight lambs were up to $10 cheaper, with 24-30kg lines selling from $243-$318, or 950-1035c/kg cwt. Lambs over 30kg sold from $295-$399.

Lightweight lambs sold to processors firm to $4 cheaper with 12-18kg 2 scores selling from $100 to $150/head. Merino lambs were up to $15 cheaper, with trade weights $138-$240 and heavy weights selling to $300. Restocker lambs were firm, with young crossbreds making $50-$187.

Ballarat sets state record of $428

At Ballarat on Tuesday, the NLRS said well-finished types with weight and fat cover were harder to find.

However, a new centre and Victorian price record of $428 was set for 102 extra heavy fed Poll Dorset cross lambs estimated at around 40kg cwt. Four pens of lambs sold above $400 in one agents run, the NLRS said.

On a carcase weight basis, the sale showed a softer trend, with heavy lamb categories averaging an estimated 1050-1090c/kg cwt compared to the $11kg-plus last Tuesday.

The NLRS said most export lambs made $320-$388 to average $360/head at around 1055c/kg cwt. The heavy 26-30kg cwt lambs sold for $270-$334, with strong outcomes when domestic buyers competed on neat lots.

The NLRS said there was more price variance was on mixed trade lambs under 24kg cwt, with cwt prices ranging from 900-1100c/kg depending on quality and finish. Best heavy 24-26kg cwt trade lambs made $245-$288, with the top pens over 1100c/kg. Bidding was a lot more selective on the general run of trade lambs, with the 22-24kg cwt run varying from $212-$265/head at 920c/kg to just over 1100c/kg cwt or an average of 1020c/kg.

Feeder and store lambs were a few dollars cheaper amid more selective buying on breed type and quality, the best pens close to firm, the NLRS said. Feeders paid $150-$205 for the best framed and bred lambs to put onto grain, while lighter and smaller store lambs mostly made $80-$140.

The record priced lambs were sold by TB White and Sons to Thomas Foods International at Stawell on behalf of Dean producer Danny Maher who offered about 400 lambs on the day.

TB White and Sons livestock manager Xavier Bourke said the market was full firm for the heavy lambs “at very impressive rates.” Mr Bourke said there would be more heavy lamb drafts to come in over the next few weeks.

Forbes lamb prices drop $10 on quality

At Forbes yesterday, the NLRS said quality in the reduced yarding was back from the previous sale with fewer finished lambs and less weight yarded.  Not all the usual buyers were present or competed.

Lambs sold up to $10 easier on quality, with trade weight 20-24kg selling from $295-$262. Heavy lambs to 26kg made $252-$288 and extra heavyweights $255 to $390. Carcase prices ranged from 980-1030/kg.

SALX Merino lambs defy market trend

At the South Australian Livestock Exchange at Dublin yesterday, the NLRS said the usual trade and processor buyers were active along with feeders, restockers and specialty butchers, but most classes sold to an easier trend on quality.

The NLRS said light store Merino lambs and light Merino defied the trend to sell mostly firm on the previous sales buoyant results.

Ideal trade weight sold from $200-$280 with heavyweights making $260-$280. The few extreme heavyweights made $270-$340. Merino store lambs sold from $75-$170, trade weights $175-$210 and heavyweights $230-$250.

Cross bred light store lambs sold from $100-$145 and ideal stores sold $150-$180.

Naracoorte store lambs $5-$10 cheaper

At Naracoorte yesterday, the NLRS said the usual buyers were on the rail and operating in cold wet conditions in a market with mixed results.

Medium trade lambs sold from $188-$225 and heavy trades made $210-$260, or 920-1000c/kg. Heavy export lambs over 26/kg cwt sold from $261-$388, or just over 1000c/kg.

Store lambs sold to $5-$10 cheaper. Light and medium trades sold firm for neat lambs with good weight and shape, while plainer lines slipped $8-$12. Heavy trade lambs sold firm to $6 softer. A very limited offering of heavy lambs over 26kg cwt sold cheaper. Restockers and feeders paid $70-$190 for the lighter weights and $180-$200 for heavier weights.

Horsham lamb record of $425

The $425 lambs sold in the AWN run at the Horsham saleyards today set a new centre record.

At the Horsham saleyards today, the NLRS said the regular buyers operated in a mostly firm market, slightly easier on the plainer types.

The NLRS said a centre record of $425 was achieved for lambs estimated at 45kg/cwt.

The medium trades sold from $230-$255, or around 1010c/kg cwt. Heavy trade weights made $258-$285/head to average 1050c/kg cwt. Light trade weight lambs sold from $189-$232head to average 1030c/kg. Export weights sold from $290-$310 to average 1070c/kg and extra heavy weights made $320-$425/head.

The NLRS said the best of the Merino lambs made $200-$260, or 975-1005c/kg cwt. Dorper cross lambs sold from $211-$339, or 900-970c/kg. Feeders and restockers paid from $124-$157 for lambs with frame and $40-$66 for lighter weights. They paid $60-$98 for Merino lambs and $62-$111 for Dorper lambs.

AWN Wimmera manager Wayne Driscoll said the 37 record-priced White Suffolk cross lambs from the Krause family feedlot at Horsham. He said the price reflected the strong demand for heavy lambs for export. He said trade lambs made up to $12/kg cwt.

He said producers are putting their remaining lambs into saleyards while rates are above the current trade lambs contract rates of about $11/kg, with export grid prices at $10-$10.50/kg.

“It’s tightening up the complete supply to hook transactions.

“A lot of these blokes are used to consigning 70pc as a hook transaction, while now I would imagine in a lot of cases they are pulling back to 25-30pc.”

He said the store lambs were cheaper this week, “unless they were the right article.”

Hamilton lambs to $410

At the Hamilton saleyards today, the NLRS said it was another mixed yarding of lambs with many of the better quality lambs being supplementary fed.

Despite this, the overall polish is beginning to diminish largely due to the recent spell of wet and cold weather, with ideal trade weights only comprising 30pc of the offering, the NLRS said.

All regular buyers were active, but prices were $15-$20 softer, largely driven by quality. Good trade lambs sold for 1000-1100c/kg cwt and heavy export lambs remained firm to slightly dearer at 1100-1200c/kg cwt.

The NLRS said a standout pen of extra heavy lambs topped the market at $410 with an estimated carcase weight of 34kg.

Feeder and restocker competition was subdued with prices softer by up to $20-$30. Local restockers and interstate orders provided some support, but overall demand was weaker.

Light 12-16kg lambs sold from $59-$182. The 18-22kg lambs made $193-$243 and the 22-26kg lines sold from $250-$276.

SELX Yass shedders sell to $325

At the South Eastern Livestock Exchange at Yass today, the NLRS said there were only a few good trade and heavy lambs with most in 2 score condition or less.

The restockers and feeder preferred the heavier secondary trade weights, that made the lighter weights cheaper and once the quality and weight picked up, trade buyers competed strongly for numbers.

The NLRS said light restocking lambs were back $8-$10 at $51- $177 and secondary trade weights sold from $146-$187. The well-finished trades were $10-$15 dearer, with the 20-24kg lambs making $210-$271 at mostly 1040-1120c/kg. The 24-26kg lambs sold from $240-$296 to average 1050c/kg. Heavy lambs ranged from $268-$288 and extra heavy shedders topped the market at $325.

Cowra competition eases

At the Cowra saleyards today, the NLRS said lamb quality was mixed with the heavy weights in good condition while the remainder varied.

Mainly heavy lambs were penned with limited trade lines and more store lambs. All the buyers competed but competition eased.

Light lambs sold to restockers at $82-$154, down $9. Medium and heavy trade weight lambs were $1-$8 cheaper at 990-1010c/kg. The heavy trades sold from $235-$244. Heavy weight lambs eased $7-$11 to 995-1030c/kg. Heavy weight lambs sold from $250-$265 and extra heavy weights made $269-$$326.

Sources – NLRS and agents.