Lambs off the boil at Wagga Wagga

Yarding - 66,900

Lamb prices came off the boil by $10 to $20/head as more numbers came into the system, 49,400 head at Wagga Wagga for an increase of 10,000 on a week ago. Also factors in the weaker trend was a drop in quality with more wintery lambs appearing, and reports of some processors starting to reduce kill shifts following the quick price rise in the market this month. One major exporter was missing from the regular buying field and what was evident today was a return to buyers being more selective and pulling back on plainer and woolly lambs. The very best neat trade and supermarket lambs held their value the best as did well finished Merino lambs offering good skin returns. Overall the market reverted back to performing more around quality,which led to a wider variance in carcass price rates. The very best slaughter lambs still held above 900c/kg in each weight category, but with the average run of crossbreds varying from 780c to 900c/kg.

Heavy export lambs over 30kg cwt sold from $239 to a top of $310 to average $284/hd at a ballpark cost of 850c/kg, and where the market lost the most form was on the mixed and woolly lots. The heavy 26-30kg cwt crossbred lambs $216 to $265, the pick of the supermarket style pens above 900c but the market breaking up underneath for an average cost of 840c/kg. Neat trade lambs $170 to $228, again some sales above 950c but loosing traction on the average run. Overall a shandied cost of 820c to 880c/kg covered a lot of crossbred lambs today.

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Quality Merino lambs with weight and finish still received strong support, the best heavy types $216 to a top of $239, and well covered trade Merinos $169 to $217. But bidding for any Merino lambs that lacked fat was quickly pulled back. There was a lot of little Merino lambs under 20kg cwt in this yarding. The main run of small Merinos in the 12-16kg cwt range sold from $76 to $134/hd.

The sheep market held its firm to be firm to dearer, with more lines of mutton pushing over the 500c/kg cwt threshold. The exporter which was absent in the lambs operated on mutton. Heavy crossbred ewes $132 to $197, and big Merino ewes in skins from $182 to $193/hd. Merino wethers sold to $186 and there was premiums evident for lines of younger wethers. A lot of sheep sold in the price range of $90 to $150/head, with lighter Merino ewes in score 1 condition mostly $60 to $90/hd.

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