Fall in prices for all joined ewe categories

Ewes-SIL-Gilgandra

An indicative sale saw 225 SIL Merino ewes out of Gilgandra NSW, averaging 56kg liveweight and 5.5 years old selling for $271/head – equating to 1011.2c/kg dressed.

Lamb prices last week are largely weaker on late March, with first cross ewe lambs, Merino ewe lambs and shedding lambs down $21, $19 and $33/head.

Similarly, SIL Merino ewes are back $4/head over the past three weeks, while SM Merino ewes and SM first cross ewes are $12 and $62 lower.

Last week’s clearance rates for all lamb categories were also significantly lower than in the final week of March – which was bolstered by robust buyer demand in the wake of the widespread rain in late March.

The main feature of prices this week was a fall in all joined ewe categories, with the 11,202 head of SIL Merino ewes, at a 71% clearance rate, averaging $4 lower, at $261/head. Similarly, SIL first cross ewes averaged $18 lower, at $325/head – with a 67% clearance rate for the 2,580 head offered.

An indicative sale saw 225 SIL Merino ewes out of Gilgandra NSW, averaging 56kg liveweight and 5.5 years old selling for $271/head – equating to 1011.2c/kg dressed.

For the lamb portion of the market, price trends were mixed, with both first cross ewes lambs and composite/other lamb categories falling $35 and $59/head, respectively.

The most robust category for the week was Merino wether lambs, which registered an 87% clearance rate for the 19,170 head offered.

In what appeared to be a well-balanced auction between buyers and sellers, the Merino wether lamb category averaged $3/head higher, at $149/head – and $2 higher on the final week of March.

Right on the average, an indicative sale of 323 Merino wether lambs, out of Nagambie, Victoria – Jun-Jul 2020 drop, averaging 38.6/kg liveweight, sold to $149/head – or 892c/kg dressed.

-AuctionsPlus