Our State of the Market Report tracks market trends across every state during FY2025. By looking at throughput, regional strengths, price indicators and top sales, the series aims to highlight both local dynamics and how each state compares on the national stage. This week, we begin with Tasmania - a smaller market by volume, but one where quality stock continues to draw consistent national interest. Tasmania’s FY2025 online market via AuctionsPlus told a compact but consistent story: steady turnoff from the island’s north and north-west, a meaningful pulse of sheep and lambs out of the south, and young cattle that on average ran heavier than several mainland peers.
Importantly, Tasmania has its own weekly commercial sales for both sheep and cattle. AuctionsPlus runs dedicated TAS Commercial Sales to give local vendors and agents a clear platform to market their livestock to a national audience. This separation ensures Tasmanian listings reach buyers who are specifically seeking stock from 'Tassie', rather than being diluted within larger eastern states catalogues or private sales.
Cattle listings for Tasmania accounted for 1.3% of the national throughput over FY25. Supply was concentrated in the north, with Northern Tasmania contributing 36% of the state’s listings, the North West 34%, the North East 22%, and the South 7%. This geographic spread underscores the strength of the north as Tasmania’s commercial cattle engine, supported by both breeding and logistics advantages for shipping to the mainland.
For cattle, smaller lot sizes were also a feature of Tasmanian commercial sales, this included a standout result came from a small line of SM cows and calves which reached $2,300/head, from Sidmouth in Northern Tasmania. Close behind were NSM cows and calves that returned $2,290/head for Charolais bloodlines.
The depth of the Tasmanian female market was further evident in a run of 22 PTIC cows which topped at $2,250/head, offered by Windsor Pastoral Company in the Southern Tasmania.
The top priced PTIC Cows were described as "a line of large frame well bred easy handling cows. Excellent cows for any farmer to take on." Pic: AuctionsPlus
Across the broader catalogue, SM heifers, PTIC cows, and mixed-breed cow and calf units consistently traded between $2,000–$2,100/head, with Angus, Hereford, Friesian and Murray Grey lines all represented in the island’s top results.
The AuctionsPlus Young Cattle Indicator (AYCI) over FY25 for the state peaked at 407c/kg liveweight on September 29, 2024, with an average assessed liveweight of 295kg. That average weight sits above NSW (271kg), SA (268kg) and the ACT (242kg), and in line with Victoria and WA.
The AYCI specifically tracks the prices of vealers, weaners, and yearling heifers and steers sold online through AuctionsPlus.
In summary, Tasmania continues to punch above its weight in cattle, contributing only 1.3% of AuctionsPlus commercial cattle nationally, yet offering stock with a heavier profile than many mainland peers. On the sheep side, while total volumes remain small, the heavier frame of Tasmanian lambs ensures consistent demand, particularly when mainland supply is either lighter or more variable.
On the sheep and lamb side, Tasmania accounted for 0.3% of the national throughput across the past financial year. Within the state, Southern Tasmania dominated with 62% of listings, while the North East contributed 18%, Northern Tasmania 12%, and the North West 7%. This mix illustrates the south’s central role in Tasmania’s sheep industry, with smaller but consistent flows from the north and east depending on seasonal turnoff.
Tasmania’s sheep market in FY2025 was led by strong results across breeding and restocker categories, with each of the following lots achieving the top price for their category within the TAS Sheep Sales.
One standout came from a line of 250 SIL Composite ewes, topping the sale at $320/head, offered by Cloud Ag, located in Northdown, North Western Tasmania.
The 250 SIL Composite ewes from Northdown TAS were sold at two-years old, and were 90% Primeline/Primeline and 10% Primeline/Composite breed, offered as part of a flock dispersal. Pic: AuctionsPlus
Replacement ewe demand was clear, with First Cross Ewe Lambs reaching $245/head. Among Merinos, SM Ewes sold to $160/head, while Merino Ewes made a top of $101/head.
The AuctionsPlus Restocker Lamb Indicator (ARLI) for Tasmania most recently printed its peak at 958c/kg dressed weight on January 18, 2025, with an average liveweight of 33kg. That’s heavier than the NSW and Queensland averages at the same reference points, though still below South Australia’s 39kg. Heavier lambs remain a drawcard for mainland restockers seeking to add weight efficiently once on better feed.
Interested in listing livestock in the weekly commercial TAS sales? Read more here.