Meat and Livestock Australia, market reporter Leann Dax said, lamb numbers increased slightly.

The lamb market showed good form on occasion, with buyers wanting the properly finished types in both trade and heavy categories.

Quality was very good to mixed for trade while most extra heavy categories were mostly grain assisted and well finished. It was difficult to follow restockers with the market fluctuating wildly at times. There were times through the sale when well bred shorn stock overlooked.

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Competition for trade lambs intensified with a single domestic processor dominating over the better covered and presented weight categories. Prices improved $4 to $6/head.

Lambs 21kg to 24kg sold to the strongest demand selling at $175 to $214 to average 809c/kg cwt Lambs 24kg to 26kg gained $2 averaging 835c/kg cwt. Merino lambs sold to weaker competition resulting in cheaper price trends. The bulk of the Merino lambs sold from $149 to $203/head.

Extra heavy lambs over 30kg carcass weight were well supplied with a few magnificent runs of lambs weighing more than an estimated 37kg cwt. Big heavy lamb weighing more than 30kg carcass weight averaged 743c/kg cwt and recorded a top price of $305. Lambs 26kg to 30kg slipped $8 to average 779c/kg cwt.

Mutton quality continues to be very mixed.

Not all buyers stayed for the sheep sale resulting in a small group of processors. Heavy ewe mutton sold to solid demand however, Merino ewes lacked the weight of the previous market. Carcass weight prices averaged from 584c to 619c/kg cwt. Trade sheep were well supplied and buying competition was stronger from a northern processor. Trade sheep averaged 618c to 639c/kg