SUPER heavyweight lamb prices went on a record-breaking spree this week starting with $400 twice at Ballarat yesterday, then $403 at Horsham and $410 at Warracknabeal today.

The price surge followed a “perfect storm” of difficulties getting lambs from Tasmania to the mainland for processing, rain in New South Wales restricting turnoff and a general shortage of quality heavy lambs across drought-affected Victoria.

The $400/head paid at Ballarat’s Central Victorian Livestock Exchange was the first time this price had been recorded in Australia for prime lambs at a saleyard.

Horsham lambs soar to $403

The $403 lambs at Horsham. Image – AWN.

At Horsham today, the NLRS said lambs sold $20-$0 dearer with prime 22-30kg-plus lines making $9-$10/kg-plus as export and domestic buyers competed for weight. Extra heavy lambs sold from $302-$403.

AWN Wimmera manager Wayne Driscoll said the first laneway of about 600 lambs averaged around $390 today.

The 78 $403 White Suffolk cross lambs – estimated at 36.5kg cwt – came from the Klinge family at Arcona.

Mr Driscoll said there is a distinct lack of finished lambs coming out of the Wimmera.

“It’s an expensive habit, feeding lambs, so a lot of the lambs that are fed cost a lot of money and less and less of them are getting hard-fed because of the amount of money to do it.”

The Dunn family from Brimpaen sold 463 lambs at Horsham for an average of $373, including $399 for 173.

“That’s a big average for a lot of lambs.”

Mr Driscoll said the lamb producers need these prices to pay for the cost of finishing lambs and keeping their ewe flocks alive through some rough times during the drought over the past 18 months.

The AWN Wimmera team stands over the $403 lambs. Image – AWN

Lambs to $410 at Elders Warracknabeal sale

The $410 lambs. Image – Elders.

Elders Warracknabeal auctioneer Aaron Zwar said Jeparit/Detpa producer Wes Preston sold 47 White Suffolk-Merino cross lambs estimated at 42-43kg cwt for $410 to TFI.

Mr Zwar said the vendor-bred Detpa Grove-sired lambs were out of South Australian Merino ewes finished in a farm feedlot.

“That will be a national record until such time as someone breaks it, tomorrow I would have thought.

“We are always comparative here at Warrack, it’s the home of the fat lamb – here and Ouyen,” he said.

Elders Warracknabeal auctioneer Aaron Zwar with one of the $410 lambs. Image – Elders.

“At the moment, it is absolutely the perfect storm given that there is rain in the north in the Riverina and Wagga in the last few days, and rough conditions and wind, and we are not looking great from a cropping point of view.

The 49 Preston seconds made $407, the 72 thirds made $409 and the tail of 26 sold for $380.

“he’s basically sold the complete mob in one day,” Mr Zwar said.

“We didn’t come under $330 for our first run of lambs.”

“But those who have locked up lambs and have them ready for a tight supply or a rise in the market have all come in this week.”

He said boats not coming out of Tasmania have left a few processors a bit short on numbers.

Export buyers push prices to record levels at Ballarat

Prices for the 30kg-plus cwt heavy lambs at the Ballarat market were pushed to extreme levels as three processors – JBS, ALC at Colac and Thomas Foods International – competed for the in-demand lines.

Heavy lambs weighing 22-26kg also sold to more than $12/kg cwt at Ballarat as Bacchus Marsh processor Westside and Coles competed strongly after an expected shipment of lambs from Tasmania fopr the supermarket was delayed by rough weather. Prime lambs in the 22-26kg weight category sold for an estimated $9.50-$12.30/kg cwt with an average of around $11/kg.

Meat & Livestock Australia’s market information manager Stephen Bignell said the 1727 30kg-plus cwt four score lambs sold to processors ranged from $320-$400 per head, with an average of $376. He said the 30kg-plus lambs sold to from $9.90-$11.34/kg and an average of $10.69/kg.

“this shows that both domestic and export lambs are performing well.”

National Livestock Reporting Service records show prime lambs sold for $382 in March 2020 in Griffith and a line of prime heavy old lambs estimated at 40kg cwt sold at Wagga Wagga in October 2021 for $399.20. The previous record lamb price in Ballarat was $362 in March 2020.

Although the price results highlight the strong demand for heavy lambs, Mr Bignell said Australia is still processing 500,000 lambs a week.

“So there isn’t an imminent supply problem and if you look at the yardings, they were 25,000 up last week.”

Mr Bignell would not comment on whether the current lamb prices levels were sustainable, but he said prices above $300 have been widespread through saleyard markets recently.

“We’ve seen high prices in Dubbo, high prices in Forbes and other markets, now high prices in Ballarat.”

The two pens of $400 lambs sold at Ballarat yesterday.

The CVLX Facebook page posted congratulations to Ballarat vendors for achieving a new national record lamb price.

“Congratulations to Vendors Thomas Ag, and DL KE TG & LF Dean for each achieving $400 for heavy export lambs…narrowly surpassing the previous record of $399.20.

“Selling Agent Xavier Bourke of TB White & Sons estimates the lambs will dress at 40-42kg,” CVLX said.

“With seasonal challenges facing many of our vendors and broadly producers in the southern region, such prices for well grown and presented stock are a highlight.”

Both the $400 lines at Ballarat were White Suffolk crosses and eventually sold to TFI.

“They were very very good lambs, it was the dearest sale we’ve ever seen at Ballarat, I would say,” Mr Bourke told Sheep Central.

After hearing that Horsham prices topped at $403 and Warracknabeal lambs reached $410, he predicted that Ballarat’s rates would be “old news by tomorrow.”

Mr Bourke said there has been a shortage of heavy lambs and with boats not sailing from Tasmania adding to this.

“Usually when you see a kick like this it doesn’t hang around for very long, it comes back to a level that is sustainable.

“I hope this is the norm, but history tells us it doesn’t stay like this.”