Mutton up at Bendigo

Yarding - 17,900

It was a varied lamb market today both in terms of price trends and quality. There was 10,900 lambs yarded to be down 10pc on a week ago, and quality has become more wintery with plainer types and smaller lots dominating over lines of well finished export and trade lambs. One key northern processor was not as competitive today, a supermarket was absent, and the store orders of a week ago weren’t here. The result was a very erratic market with mixed price trends. Heaviest export lambs were just firm to $5 easier; the heavy 26-30kg crossbred lambs benefitted from some stronger outcomes to domestic buyers to average $5 stronger; any good shorn medium trade lambs were dearer; the mixed run of light lambs including Merinos were generally cheaper.

Export lambs over 30kg cwt $214 to a top of $259/head, showing a spread of 650c to 735c/kg cwt to cost a ballpark 700c/kg cwt. The heavy crossbred lambs were boosted by some stronger sales to domestic orders for neat 26-28kg cwt types and sold from $166 to $216 to average between 690c to 700c/kg cwt. Any neat trade lambs in short skins were well supported at $150 to $180 at over 700c/kg cwt. But again off trade types were often still in the 620c to 680c/kg range. Trade weighted Merino lambs with reasonable fat cover $150 to $164/head. Light lambs were erratic at $55 to $125/head for most to show a cheaper trend over most.

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In contrast the mutton sale did show a consistent trend of $10 to $15/head dearer. Most sheep were estimated as costing processors from 350c to 400c/kg cwt, with some lines of young Merino wethers that had 2-tooth’s in them making up to 440c/kg cwt. Heavy crossbred ewes $102 to $120; Merino wethers to $126 and ewes to $120/head. Light sheep recorded the best price gains with most sales moving up to between $60 and $80/head.

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