These (75) 2-6 year-old Australian White ewes scanned in-lamb to a Tattykeel stud ram at Inverell in NSW sold on AuctionsPlus for $199 last week.

CROSSBRED lamb prices dropped markedly on AuctionsPlus last week, and only values for Merino and first cross ewe lambs, scanned in-lamb Merino ewes and shedding breed ewes moving upward.

Commercial sheep and lamb listings dropped by 19 percent to 56,127 head on the online marketplace.

The market was again mixed as the smaller yarding and falling market struggled to entice buyers as selective purchasing was again present, AuctionsPlus said.

The overall clearance fell 4pc to 45pc and the average price paid over reserve slipped lower to $6. Merino ewe lambs drew some interest and all the 2,330 head offered were sold for $57-$121 or an average of $73, up $6.

Crossbred lamb prices fell sharply, making $48-$121, for an average of $96, down $17, for the 41pc of 11,476 head offered that sold. At Woolsthorpe in south-west Victoria, 184 mixed sex July/August 2022 drop second cross store lambs averaging 42kg lwt sold for $113 to a buyer from South Australia.

Only 58pc of the 11,265 Merino wether lambs offered were sold, for from $35-$88, to average $54, down $7.

Merino ewe lambs had a stronger week from the lows of the previous week, resulting in a 100pc clearance of the 2330 head offered, for from $57-$121 to average $73, up $6. At Kingston in South Australia, 1650 June/July 2022 drop Merino ewe lambs averaging 28kg lwt sold in six lines for $63 or 226c/kg lwt.

Only 21pc of the 7672 scanned in-lamb Merino ewes sold for form $50-$146, to average $103, up $2. At Wellington in New South Wales, 348 three year-old Merino SIL ewes joined to White Suffolk rams and averaging 55kg lwt sold for $137.

AuctionsPlus sold 64pc of the 977 scanned in-lamb shedding breed ewes offered for from $140-$230 to average $182, up $7. At Murrumbateman in NSW, 32 April/May 2022 drop Australian White SIL ewe lambs averaging 44kg lwt made the top price of $230/head. Only 28pc of the 770 unjoined shedding breed ewes offered found new homes, at pricesof $203-$249, or averaging $238, up $108.

Note: Prices as at 5pm Thursday, 1st June 2023

Source – AuctionsPlus.