Lamb consignments ease
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The beginning of harvest caused lamb numbers, as reported by the MLA’s NLRS, to slip by 5 per cent week-on-week, for a total of 77,742 head. Dubbo lost 33 per cent, to offer 14,100 lambs, although Tamworth defied the lower trends and lifted 7 per cent, for 3550 lambs. Forbes was 37 per cent lower, totalling 15,200 head, while CTLX nearly double its numbers, for 9,250 head in total. Wagga yarded 31,500 lambs, an increase of 13 per cent week-on-week. Inverell continued its fortnightly sale and penned 2342 lambs.
Sheep markets eased 25 per cent overall, for a total of 28,739 head. Dubbo slipped 39 per cent and penned 5800 head, while Forbes lost 35 per cent for a penning of 8200 sheep. CTLX nearly doubled its total week-on-week, for 3150 head. Wagga slipped by 34 per cent, for 8000 head in total.
Quality was mixed
Dubbo offered a plainer quality yarding, as a good selection of Merino lambs was included in the penning. Tamworth offered high quality young lambs, together with ample numbers of secondary lots showing dryness and seed contamination. Forbes penned 5000 new seasons, while CTLX offered a good quality penning of trade and heavy weight new season lambs. Lamb quality at Wagga was very good, however there was an increased supply of lambs showing dryness and seed contamination.
Lamb prices trend higher
New season lambs, lifted $2 to $3, as the trade weights ranged from $86 to $118/head, or an average price around the 482c/kg cwt range. The heavy weights topped at $140/head and averaged from 448c to 477c/kg cwt. Equal rises were recorded for the older lamb categories, with the heaviest reaching $159/head. The Merino lambs trended $2 to $3/head dearer throughout most categories.
Sheep sold to differing trends, as some markets reported cheaper prices, while others sold at dearer trends. The medium and heavy weights ranged from $42 to $104/head, as the better 2 to 4 score mutton averaged from 282c to 305c/kg cwt.