The lamb market is on a roll after the first two weeks of spring, with tight supplies of new season lambs amid a booming season in front of producers throughout eastern Australia.
Surprisingly, heavy old lambs grabbed the limelight at Wagga Wagga, NSW, with lambs estimated to weigh 36 kilograms carcase weight reaching an impressive top price of $280 a head.
Prices were boosted by both supply and demand factors.
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On the supply side, lambs numbers in the eastern states are yet to build as the cold weather hinders new-season lamb growth rates.
Most processors have been forced to rely on well-finished old lambs in any weight category which was evident at the Wagga Wagga and Griffith, NSW, markets.
Price averages for old trade lambs tracked $4-$15 higher to average 787 cents a kilogram cwt.
Meanwhile, the limited numbers of sucker lambs suitable for the trade averaged 827-847c/kg cwt.
The other noted trend was processors being prepared to pay more for heavy suckers.
Domestic buyers kept the pressure on, however, for their share of lambs weighing up to 29kg cwt.
Of the 9000 new-season lambs offered at Wagga Wagga, only 3000 carried ideal finish for processors.
The balance was store types with the bulk returning to the paddock.
On Monday in opening markets, there was a step up in price for new season heavy trade weight lambs, as wet weather disrupted the transport of livestock direct to meat works.
Shortages put extreme pressure on supermarkets and domestic processors as buyers reverted to old shorn lambs to make up numbers.
At Bendigo in a bigger yarding of 22,000 lambs and 9200 sheep, new season lambs made up the bulk of the central Victorian lamb offering.
Meat & Livestock Australia's National Livestock reporting Service said buyers focused on heavier, new-season lambs weighing more than 24kg cwt.
Prices improved $5-$10 with the majority making from $200-$240 at estimated carcase weights of 800-820c/kg.
Buyer enthusiasm waned for new-season trade weights between 19-23kg, with rates falling $12 compared to last week's dearer trend.
Mutton suffered some hefty price corrections across the heavy sheep classes with rates falling $25.
Heavy ewes sold from $137-$184, with a single pen of big, crossbred ewes making $215.
Trade mutton was unchanged and averaged 550-590c/kg cwt.
Lamb numbers were up to 2825 at Ballarat on Tuesday to 6696.
Quality was fair to good.
Trade weights sold to $183, with heavier trade weights making anywhere from $172-$199.
Heavy lambs gained $20-$30 and averaged 720-780c/kg cwt.
- Leann Dax is an NLRS market reporter.
