AuctionsPlus commercial sheep and lamb listings held steady off the back of reduced yardings in the previous week due to the ANZAC Day public. The clearance rate fell 25 percentage points to 32% and the Price Over Reserve increased by $1 to average $9 across all listings.
The Crossbed Lamb Indicator rose 2% to $102/head, but the AuctionsPlus restocker indicator (ARLI) tumbled 84c/kg to 487c/kg indicating a mild appetite for restocking activity which is likely being driven by dry conditions in some regions and the tightening of available paddocks with the onset of cropping activity.
Lamb prices lifted by an average of $2/head for crossbred lamb with an 86% clearance rate, but were steady or backwards in all other categories.
The Merino Ewe Lamb offering lifted 451% to 4,866 with Merino Wether Lambs recording a small uptick in numbers offered. All other lamb offerings were back on the previous week.
Prices, offering change and clearance rates were mixed for the Joined Ewe portion of the sale, with SIL First X Ewes notably dropping $53/head on average this week, for just 18% clearance. This disinterest in confirmed breeding stock may indicate a decline in producer confidence to invest in this space.
NSM category offerings increased substantially and prices held mostly firm, with the highest clearance in the Merino Ewes at 41%.
NSW producers offered over 7000 more head than the previous week, and remained the highest contributor to the offering with 33,574 head. Victorian producers offered 2,297 head less, down to 13,156 this week.
Purchases in Queensland picked up an extra 336 head this week but numbers declined in all other states, with South Australia and Victoria particularly recording significant declines. ACT, Queensland, Tasmania and the NT were not active at all.
Processors took home less than half a percent of the lots sold.
Table 1: AuctionsPlus National Weekly Sheep and Lamb Prices
Report: Interactive Market Dashboard
Crossbred Lambs registered a 49% smaller offering with 4,678 head, with prices up by $2 on last week to average $102/head for a 86% clearance rate. From Orange, NSW, a line of 240 Poll Dorset/Composite mixed sex, Aug/Sep '23 drop and weighing 43kg lwt, returned $156/head, or 360c/kg and will travel to a buyer in Borenore, NSW.
Merino Wether Lambs registered a 29% increased offering to 6,598 head, with prices dropping $14/head for a 38% clearance. From Kerang, VIC, a line of 450 Merino Wethers, Jun/Jul '23 drop and weighing 36kg lwt, returned $74/head, or 206c/kg, and will travel to a buyer in Deniliquin, NSW.
SIL Merino Ewes registered a 44% larger offering with 9,689 head, with prices increasing by $8 on last week to average $120/head for a 27% clearance.
Note: Prices as at 5pm Thursday, 2nd May 2024
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