All quiet on the western front

For the first half of 2021 we have seen 460,864 sheep and lambs transported from Western Australia to the eastern states, compared to the 1,006,782 that were trucked during January to June in 2020. Prior to 2020 the largest flows seen coming from west to east was the 370,288 head seen during the first half of 2011.

A comparison of the pattern set during the financial year for the 2020/21 to the 2010/11 season highlights that the monthly volume of flows were remarkably similar. In 2011 the bulk of the sheep and lamb shipped from west to east occurred in the first half of the year at 370,288 head, with only 46,935 transported during the second half of 2011.

As the seasonal pattern demonstrates the 2021 trend has moved back into the normal range that could be expected for sheep and lamb transportation from the west to the east during the second quarter of the year. Indeed, by May 2021 numbers were back below the ten-year seasonal average pattern with 25,214 head reported over the month, compared to the May average over the last decade of 30,049 head.

June 2021 has seen just 6,923 sheep and lamb trucked west to east, compared to the ten-year June average of 16,645. This represents flows that are 58% below the volumes that could be expected, based on the seasonal average pattern seen during the last decade.