Heavy Mutton up $70 at Wagga Wagga

Yarding - 34,000

In the lamb market, numbers dropped by a third, which is typical for this time of year. Despite this decline, buyer participation remained steady, although not all buyers were present, and some were selective—particularly regarding woolly lambs. Notably, there was an improvement in quality, with a great selection of predominantly grain-fed trade and heavy lambs.

Today's sale emphasized heavy mutton, with heavy Merino ewes increasing by $70 and reaching a top price of $354, averaging 887 cents per kilogram carcass weight. The trade lamb market was largely influenced by Victorian processors, who focused their bids on shorter-skinned, grain-assisted lambs. For those meeting quality standards, trade lambs sold for prices up to $10 higher, ranging between $200 and $318.

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Merino trade lambs attracted significant interest from most processors, with prices generally rising by $15, resulting in bulk sales from $190 to $306. Heavy Merino lambs also saw strong demand, selling for prices between $290 and $364. Meanwhile, heavy export lambs experienced upward price trends due to limited numbers. Prices increased by $16 to $24 per head, with most heavy lambs averaging between 1200 and 1300 cents per kilogram carcass weight. Heavy lambs weighing between 26-30 kg sold for prices ranging from $323 to $398, while those over 30 kg commanded even higher prices, reaching between $398 and $450 per head.

The mutton yarding was mixed, with not all buyers participating. Prices soared across all categories, with heavy Merino ewes showing the biggest improvement. A major northern processor dominated the sale, while some exporters were unable to operate due to the significant increase in heavy mutton rates. Heavy Merino ewes sold for $265 to $354, averaging 887 cents per kilogram carcass weight. Heavy Merino wethers over 30 kg topped at $343, averaging 953 cents per kilogram carcass weight. Better-quality trade sheep fetched prices between $151 and $196 per head.

https://wagga.nsw.gov.au/business-investment/council-businesses/livestock-marketing-centre