Heavy Lambs scarce at Bendigo

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Yarding - 32,660

Weight and quality influenced prices in a slightly bigger yarding of 26,560 lambs. Heavy lambs remained scarce and the 30kg cwt plus and 26-30kg young lamb categories held their value on a week ago. Where the market softened was over the general run of tradeweights which eased $5 to $10/head. Not all the major domestic orders operated and bidding over these lambs did vary, buyers still supporting the best pens which showed consistent finish and freshness but pulling back on those which showed signs of having dried off. A talking point of the sale was more processor demand for light and MK style lambs which were dearer as meat buyers purchased the majority ahead of restockers.

Only a few hundred young lambs out of a line-up of more than 20,000 weighed above 30kg cwt and sold from $160 to a top of $175/head. The heavy 26-30kg cwt young lambs $130 to $164. These quality processing lambs with weight still averaged over 500c/kg at a ballpark 520-530c. There was more price variance over the general run of trade lambs at 430c 520c/kg cwt, with averages for the main weight categories easing back to 460c to 490c/kg cwt. The heavy trades, 24-26kg cwt, $114 to $138 and the 22-24kg pens $100 to $121/head. Meat companies dominated light lambs, paying from $62 to $86 for 16-18kg cwt types and $45 to $69 for smaller 12-16kg lambs. Some recently shorn young lambs sold back to the paddock at $63 to $80/head. More unshorn young Merino lambs were offered in this sale, most were lighter types which sold from $66 to $86.

Another sale of limited support for mutton, with three or four meat companies not following onto the sheep sale. There was one sale of heavy Merino ewes at $42, but a range of $20 to $32 covered the majority of ewe sales regardless of weight. Lean trade sheep are making the best c/kg money in a dull market. Most heavy mutton tracked under 100c/kg cwt.

https://www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/Services/Bendigo-Livestock-Exchange