These mixed sex July-September 2023 drop Aussie White and Dorper cross ewe lambs weighing 45kg at Longreach sold for $119 on AuctionsPlus last week.

SHEDDING breed lambs and ewes were in vogue in a reduced overall sheep and lamb offering on AuctionsPlus last week.

The average price for shedding breed lambs lifted $47 to $114 last week, although only 68 percent of the 1916 head offered were sold.

Minor average price falls were recorded for Merino wether and composite/other breed lambs, although both categories had better clearances.

The biggest gains in the ewe categories was the $35 increase in the average price for joined shedding breed ewes to $176 and the $31 lift in the average price of unjoined shedding breed ewes to $129.

AuctionsPlus commercial sheep and lamb listings fell 13pc to 51,497 head and was met with a 75c/kg rise in the AuctionsPlus restocker indicator to 633c/kg. There was also an 11pc rise of the crossbred lamb indicator or average price to $128.

There was a nine percentage point jump in the overall clearance rate to 59pc, AuctionsPlus said; however, Value Over Reserve rose by $5 to average $11 across all listings.

The biggest loser in the ewe categories was scanned in-lamb composite/other breed ewes, whose average price fell $49 to $109, for a 62pc clearance of the 1501 head offered.

Listings were steady in Queensland and New South Wales, but dropped 2461 to 8867 in Victoria and fell 3314 to 7439 in South Australia. NSW and Victoria buyers both purchased an additional 2400-odd sheep and lambs, but South Australia dropped its purchases by more than half, down 3037 to only buy 2392 head. Western Australia, Northern Territory, the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania all “dropped off the map” for listings and purchases, AuctionsPlus said.

Processors did not purchase any sheep or lambs on AuctionsPlus last week, after a decline in purchases in recent weeks. AuctionsPlus said this came as Meat & Livestock Australia reported that the combined sheep and lamb slaughter surged week-on-week to reach 687,772 head, marking it the largest weekly total on record. Notably, Victoria recorded its highest individual slaughter numbers.  Lamb slaughter reached 506,443, surpassing the half-million mark for the first time.

The crossbred lambs offering rose 24pc to 11,852, with the average price rising $13 to $128 for a 91pc clearance. At Crookwell in NSW, 475 mixed sex July 2023 Poll Dorset cross store lambs weighing 48kg lwt sold for $157, or 324c/kg, to a buyer in Griffith, NSW.

The Merino wether lamb offering dropped 75pc to 2236 and the average price also fell, by $9 to $69, for a 78pc clearance rate. At Forbes in NSW, 180 May 2023 drop Merino wethers weighing an average of 42.7kg lwt made $96, or 222c/kg, with a buyer from Forbes.

AuctionsPlus offered 4060 scanned in-lamb shedding breed ewes, up 373pc, and the average price rose by $1 to $141; however, the clearance rate was just 31pc.

Note: Prices as at 5pm Thursday, 28th March 2024

Source – AuctionsPlus.