These mixed sex Australian White cross lambs weighing 39.8kg lwt at Walcha in NSW sold for $106 on AuctionsPlus last week.

LAMB prices were firm to lower for most categories except shedding breed lambs on AuctionsPlus last week.

AuctionsPlus commercial sheep and lamb listings fell 15 percent to 83,613 head and only half were sold.

Across all listings a Price Over Reserve of $6/head was recorded and this continued to rise throughout the day, AuctionsPlus said.

The crossbred lamb indicator fell 16pc to $98/head and the restocker ARLI indicator climbed 9 cents to average 548c/kg lwt.

A premium was paid for some joined ewes, with the average price paid for scanned in-lamb Merinos lifting $42 to $178/head and joined shedding breed ewes averaged $170, up $46. The average price paid for joined Merino ewes fell $87 to $56, and scanned in-lamb first cross ewes sold from $126-$215 to average $167, down $8.

AuctionsPlus said listings picked up in Victoria and Tasmania, dropped in Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia and held steady in Western Australia. Queensland listings fell to 13,511. Listings fell by 32pc for joined ewes to 14,117, but lifted 130pc for rams.

South Australian buyers purchased 4634 head last week, 5448 fewer, while Tasmanian buyers picked up 352 head more than the previous week, when no purchases were made. One processor was active in the AuctionsPlus marketplace this week, picking up 2107 head across six lots of Merino wether lambs, composite/other breed ewes and Merino ewes.

Crossbred lamb listings were back 4pc to 19,440 head, and the average price paid was back $19 to $98 for a 36pc clearance. At Euroa in Victoria, 230 mixed sex June 2023 drop White Suffolk cross lambs weighing 42.40kg lwt sold for $140/head, or 330c/kg.

The Merino wether lamb offering dropped to 8619 head, and the average price held firm to rise just $1/head to $68 for a 46pc clearance. At The Marra in NSW, 475 July 2023 drop Merino wethers weighing 44.4kg lwt made $121, $31 over reserve.

Prices in the unjoined ewe category enjoyed a mild uptick, with head counts dropping in all categories except for composite/other breed ewes, that lifted 85pc. At Cooma in NSW, 160 2.5-6 year-old Merino ewes weighing 59kg sold for $252/head, or 429c/kg lwt.

Note: Prices as at 5pm Thursday, 22nd February 2024

Source – AuctionsPlus.