SLAUGHTER lamb prices were firm to dearer in saleyards late last week after posting good gains during the first sales of 2016.

The National Livestock Reporting Service’s Eastern States Daily Indicators for lamb quoted the trade and heavy categories as increasing slightly.

After Friday’s saleyard sales, the ESDI for trade lambs closed up 2 cents to 517c/kg, recording a 12 cent gain for the week. The ESDI for heavy lambs was up 1 cent after Friday to 532c/kg, representing a 9-cent rise for the week.

The other lamb ESDIs, their daily and weekly gains were: restocker 511c/kg, no change, down 11 cents; Merino 407c/kg, down 9c, down 32c; light 484c/kg, up 3c, down 1c.

The national trade lamb indicator lifted 1 cent on Friday to 523c/kg and the heavy indice was up 3 cents to 531c/kg.

The ESDI for mutton fell 4 cents on Friday to 253c/kg and dropped 39 cents during the week. The national mutton indicator fell 1 cents to 299c/kg.

AuctionsPlus reports strong store lamb prices

AuctionsPlus offered 12,117 sheep and lambs in two sales last week, attracting almost 200 registered bidders.

Crossbred store lambs started the year at a strong pace, with most prices up by about $5. The 27kg lwt lambs offered made $76.50-$85 and 32kg lambs sold for $86.50. The 38kg-40kg terminal lambs made $95.50-$98, while mixed sex 39kg first cross lambs in northern NSW sold for $107.50.

The heaviest lambs offered online last week, at 44kg lwt, sold for $105-$107, with the top price paid for shorn White Suffolk cross lambs at Ararat.

AuctionsPlus said Merino wether lambs sold fom $45-$81.50 to average $64.50, with the top price paid for woolly September-October drop Karbullah and Boyanga blood lambs, 32kg lwt, in northern NSW.

Among the limited numbers of breeders offered online, maiden Merino ewes made $134.50-$145, and mixed age ewes in lamb to Border Leicesters sold for $90. At Wentworth, Dorper and White Dorper ewe lambs sold from $140-$150.

AuctionsPlus has 33,000 sheep and lambs booked for Tuesday and 5000 listed for Thursday’s store lamb sale.

Griffith lamb sale dearer

In New South Wales on Friday at Griffith’s first sale for 2016, the agents yarded 7200 lambs and 700 sheep.

The NLRS said lamb quality was fair, with good numbers of well-finished drafts and some plainer types. Heavy and extra heavyweight lambs were well-supplied. The usual buyers competed in a market that was dearer than the final sale of 2015.

Light old lambs lifted $6 to $94-$103. Trade weights sold $2-$6 better at $103-$126. Heavy and extra heavyweight lambs also lifted in price. Heavy lambs sold from $125-$148 and extra heavies made $148-$179. Carcase prices ranged from 484-529c/kg. Mutton quality was also very mixed. Merino ewes sold from $70-$93 and crossbred ewes averaged $86.

Shepparton’s well-finished lambs hold firm

In Victoria at the Shepparton saleyards on Friday, the agents yarded 2300 lambs and 1200 sheep in the centre’s opening sale for 2016.

The NLRS said quality was very mixed, with the yarding dominated by smaller pen lots of secondary lambs in plain condition. Fewer processors followed the sale.

Price trends for any well-finished shorn lambs matched rates reported earlier this week. There was only a few pens of quality export and trade weight lambs in each agent’s run, and these sold from $124-$140 to average an estimated 530c/kg cwt. Bidding for lighter and secondary lambs fluctuated around quality, with most sales to slaughter range from $80-$116. Restocker demand remained strong with most sales to the paddock from $60-$92.

Sheep quality was also very mixed. Some pens of heavy crossbred and Dorper ewes sold from $70-$89, while most of the better trade weight sheep made $60-$80. The best lines of trade weight mutton averaged over 300c/kg cwt.

Source: AuctionsPlus, MLA, NLRS.