These 4.5-7.5 year-old Merino ewes at Dubbo in NSW scanned 177pc in lamb to Border Leicester rams sold for $116 on AuctionsPlus last week.

RESTOCKERS were very active on joined Merino ewes in a reduced AuctionsPlus offering of sheep and lambs in the week up to the Australia Day holiday last Friday.

There was a 14 percent reduction offering of 77,456 sheep and lambs, and the overall clearance dropped to a healthy 78 percent, while prices were mixed.

The crossbred lamb indicator added 6pc on the previous week’s settled sales, although the AuctionsPlus Restocker Lamb Indicator lost 5c/kg carcase weight. The ARLI is just 5pc down on this time last year.

AuctionsPlus said restockers remained very active, pushing the average price paid for scanned-in-lamb Merino ewes up $50 to $162 for a 96pc clearance of 2312 offered. The restockers also snapped up all the limited number of station mated ewes on offer, bidding $31 a head more than the previous week’s average piece.

It was more of a mixed bag for lambs, with the average price for crossbred lambs rising $6, but the clearance slipped to 76pc, AuctionsPlus said. Prices for the 10,675 Merino wether lambs offered were flat — averaging $67, down $1 – for a 92pc clearance.  The average price for the 73pc of the 5572 first cross ewe lambs that AuctionsPlus sold fell $10 to $106.

The number of crossbred lambs fell 28pc to 21,883, and the average price increased on last week to average $114, up $6 for a 76pc clearance. At Wallendbeen in New South Wales, 310 mixed sex May-July 2023 drop Poll Dorset cross lambs and weighing 33kg lwt sold for $116, or 356c/kg, to a buyer in Bungendore, NSW.

The number of Merino wether lambs offered fell 28pc to 10,675 head, with prices staying essentially flat to average $67. Demand was strong with a very healthy 92pc clearance. Two lines of Merino wethers — 260 and 270 — from Mooralla in Victoria made 311c/kg and 328c/kg  to a buyer at Jeparit, Victoria.

At Hay in NSW, 238 18-20 month-old Merino ewes weighing 54kg sold for $225/head, or 414c/kg lwt to a buyer at Deniliquin, NSW.

Note: Prices as at 5pm Thursday, 25 January, 2024.

Source – AuctionsPlus.