INDICATORS: Aussie livestock market momentum outpaces US tariff impact
3 April 2025
The Mutton Indicator skyrocketed 118.55 cents this week to 545.60 cents per kilogram dressed. Pic: AgriShots
An article by Natasha Lobban
Thursday’s announcement of 10% tariffs on Australian beef and lamb entering the US has done little to dampen the market’s enthusiasm, with seasonal confidence, spurred by northern rain and upcoming short weeks lifting key indicators across both cattle and lamb markets.
The National Young Cattle Indicator (NYCI) jumped 32.46c/kg liveweight this week to be 381.60c/kg on Friday morning. It is now 40.57 cents up on the previous month and 42.95 higher than the same time last year.
The NYCI is a seven-day rolling average of young cattle sold across all NLRS-reported saleyards and Australia’s suite of online livestock marketplaces.
Online sales dominated the contributing offering this week, with online offerings in NSW, Victoria and Queensland leading the tally board ahead of the physical yarding in Wagga Wagga. The Roma yards, which typically record the highest numbers for this indicator, did not operate due to flood-induced low supply.
Meanwhile, the Eastern States Young Cattle Indicator (EYCI), a seven-day rolling average of young cattle from 23 saleyards across Queensland, NSW and Victoria, leaped over the 700c mark for the first time since January and was sitting at 703.16 cents per kilogram dressed on Friday morning, an increase of 43.36c for the week, 57.63 from a month ago and up 109.20 on last year.
In the sheep markets, the Restocker Lamb Indicator lifted a whopping 81.75 cents per kilogram dressed compared to last week and was sitting at 777.21 on Friday morning.
The Heavy Lamb Indicator lifted 26.50 cents per kilogram dressed compared to last week to be 819.61.
The Merino Lamb Indicator lifted 35.29 cents per kilogram dressed this week, to sit at 679.55 and the Mutton Indicator skyrocketed 118.55 cents this week to 545.60 cents per kilogram dressed.
