These bare shorn mixed sex composite lambs weighing 40.5kg lwt sold for $129 at Longwood in Victoria on AuctionsPlus last week.

THE overall clearance rate of last week’s AuctionsPlus commercial sheep and lamb offering fell by a quarter to 32 percent on the back of reduced listings before the ANZAC Day public holiday.

The Price Over Reserve increased by $1 to average $9 across all listings last week.

The Crossbed Lamb Indicator rose 2 percent to $102/head, but the AuctionsPlus restocker indicator (ARLI) tumbled 84c/kg to 487c/kg, indicating a mild appetite for restocking that is likely being driven by dry conditions in some regions and the tightening of available paddocks with the onset of cropping activity.

Lamb prices lifted by an average of $2/head for crossbred lamb with an 86pc clearance rate, but were steady or backwards in all other categories.

The Merino ewe lamb offering lifted 451pc to 4866 with Merino wether lambs recording a small uptick in numbers offered. All other lamb offerings were back on the previous week.

Prices, offering change and clearance rates were mixed for the joined ewe categories last week, with scanned in-lamb first cross ewes notably dropping $53/head on average, for just an 18pc clearance. This disinterest in confirmed breeding stock may indicate a decline in producer confidence to invest in this space, AuctionsPlus said.

The unjoined ewe offerings increased substantially and prices held mostly firm, with the highest clearance in the Merino ewes at 41pc.

New South Wales producers offered over 7000 more head than the previous week, and remained the highest contributor to the offering with 33,574 head. Victorian producers offered 2297 fewer, down to 13,156.

Purchases in Queensland picked up an extra 336 head this week, but numbers declined in all other states, with South Australia and Victoria particularly recording significant declines. There were not purchases into the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland, Tasmania nor the Northern Territory.

Processors took home less than half a percent of the lots sold.

Crossbred lambs registered a 49pc smaller offering with 4678 head, with prices up by $2 on last week to average $102/head for an 86pc clearance rate. At Orange in NSW, 240 Poll Dorset/Composite mixed sex, Aug/Sep ’23 drop and weighing 43kg lwt, returned $156/head, or 360c/kg and will travel to a buyer in Borenore, NSW.

Merino wether lambs registered a 29pc increased offering to 6598 head, with prices dropping $14/head for a 38pc clearance. At Kerang in Victoria, 450 Merino Wethers, Jun/Jul ’23 drop and weighing 36kg lwt, returned $74/head, or 206c/kg, and will travel to a buyer in Deniliquin, NSW.

Scanned in-lamb Merino ewes registered a 44pc larger offering with 9689 head, with prices increasing by $8 on last week to average $120/head for a 27pc clearance.

Note: Prices as at 5pm Thursday, 2nd May 2024