The return to a full trading week has caused a slight downturn in eastern states saleyard lamb prices this week, on account of the higher supplies.
At the conclusion of Tuesday’s markets:
- The eastern states restocker lamb indicator averaged 730¢/kg cwt
- Merino lambs settled on 594¢ and light lambs averaged 660¢/kg cwt
- The Eastern States Trade Lamb Indicator (ESTLI) is 126¢ higher year-on-year, to 640¢/kg cwt
- The heavy lamb indicator averaged 632¢/kg cwt
For the year-to-date, average weekly lamb saleyard throughput remains higher year-on-year across the eastern states, at 169,866 head – an 8% increase from the same period last year.
The southern states have been pushing supplies higher, with average weekly SA saleyard throughput up 26%, to 14,708 head for the year so far.
It was a similar story in Victoria,with average weekly yardings 15% higher year-on-year, to 56,241 head.
In NSW, lamb saleyard supply lifted just 2% from year-ago levels, to average 97,766 head per week for the year-to-date.
Record prices for nearly all lamb indicators so far this year has contributed to the push in supply, as well as processing numbers falling 5%, to average 341,378 head per week for the year-to-date.