New season lamb prices have hit an all-time high for the January to August period, averaging $229.14 a head across all categories on AuctionsPlus, a 29% jump on last year and more than triple the 2023 low of $62.75.
The result caps four straight years of price recovery since the 2023 trough, and it's not confined to one category. Every new season lamb category tracked by AuctionsPlus is at or near its season-to-date high on price, with Crossbred Lambs averaging $233.56, First Cross Ewe Lambs $301.82, Merino Wether Lambs $202.92 and Shedding Breed Lambs $199.13.
It's happening against a backdrop of strong supply. A total of 138,796 head have gone through the system in the January to August window, the fourth-highest tally in the 11-year data set behind 2021 (229,826), 2020 (141,618) and 2018 (141,071). That puts 2026 essentially level with 2018 and 2020, up 11.7% on 2025 (124,266) and nearly double the 2023 trough of 74,740 head.
Clearance sits mid-pack at 86.9%, down 1.5 percentage points on last year's 88.4% but well clear of 2023's 61.9%.
Crossbred Lambs made up 71% of the total yarding at 98,535 head, up 21.6% on 2025 and the third-largest Crossbred run in the series behind 2021 and 2018. Price rose 31.6% year-on-year to a record $233.56. Clearance eased slightly to 85.9% from 87.5%.
First Cross Ewe Lamb numbers fell 29% on 2025 to 5,595 head, the lowest since 2022 and the tightest supply of any major category this year. That scarcity is reflected in price, with the category clearing $300 a head for the first time at $301.82, up 29.7% year-on-year. Clearance jumped to 93.2% from 75.4%, the strongest of any major category and the best result for the category since 2020.
Several categories posted their strongest new season numbers in years. Shedding Breed Lambs reached 13,234 head, the highest since 2021, while Composite/Other Breed Lambs (2,470 head) and Merino Ewe Lambs (1,350 head) both posted their biggest runs since 2019 and 2021 respectively.
Merino Wether Lambs told a different story, falling 28% on 2025 to 14,957 head, the lowest tally since 2016. No category recorded an outright all-time high on head numbers this season.
Record prices across every category mean this is a strong season to be turning off new season lambs, regardless of breed or type. But the numbers underneath the average tell producers where the real leverage sits. First Cross Ewe Lambs show what happens when supply tightens against firm demand, with numbers down 29% delivering both a record price and the best clearance of any major category. For agents and vendors alike, AuctionsPlus' national buyer reach is what turns a strong on-paper price into a cleared sale, particularly in categories where local competition alone wouldn't be enough to test the market properly.
New season lamb prices have hit an 11-year high, averaging $229.14 a head across all categories in the January to August period, up 29% on 2025, with every category at or near its season-to-date record.
The 2026 new season lamb yarding of 138,796 head is the fourth-largest in 11 years, up 11.7% on 2025 and effectively level with 2018 and 2020.
First Cross Ewe Lambs are the standout scarcity story, with numbers down 29% on 2025 to the lowest since 2022, driving a record average of $301.82 a head and the category's best clearance rate since 2020, at 93.2%.