Dearer Bendigo Market for Lamb, cheaper for Mutton
- By: "Farm Tender" News
- Ag Tech News
- Jan 21, 2019
- 996 views
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Yarding - 20,000 (-6500) .
Lambs - 12,000 (-8000).
Sheep - 8000 (+1500).
Lamb numbers declined to 12,000 as producers reacted to the cheaper rates of last week, with the extremely hot weather also influencing the smaller offering. There was a reduced supply of heavy slaughter lambs, and this combined with a step-up in demand from processors, led to a dearer market. Shorn lambs weighing over 20kg cwt gained from $5 to $19, with the biggest gains recorded for export pens which were discounted last Monday. The plainer and lighter lambs sold at similar to cheaper rates.
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Bidding for heavy lambs did improve as more exporters supported the market, reaching a top of $230 for a pen around 34kg to 35kg cwt. The best quality heavy lambs over 30kg cwt averaged $226/head as rates rebounded to an estimated 670c to 680c/kg cwt. Well presented heavy trade lambs also attracted solid demand to average just over 700c/kg cwt. An estimated range of 670c to 720c/kg cwt covered the bulk of the slaughter lambs to processors. Plainer and lighter lambs, which held their value the best the previous week, sold from $125 to $145 for light domestic and from $78 to $118/head for most of the MK bag lambs and to restocking orders. Competition for unshorn longer wool lambs remained selective and these did sell at reduced rates to the shorn categories.
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The mutton market was extremely erratic, causing a wide price spread in carcass weight terms. The market was cheaper by a range of $3 to $14/head. Heavy crossbred ewes sold from $92 to $138 to highlight the variance across the sale. Merino ewes in a skin sold to $143/head. There was sheep estimated under 300c and odd pens still over 400c, with a general run of trade mutton estimated at 350c to 370c/kg cwt. Very light sheep, and rams of all breeds, proved difficult to sell at offers from $5 to $25/head on some pens.
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