Bendigo Sheep Report

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Report Date: 30th June 2025

Total Yarding: 13,820

Commentary

Pressure mounted on meat buyers again today as numbers and quality dropped away. Just 7870 lambs were yarded in a very wintery offering, with quality lines of hard fed crossbred lambs off grain much harder to find. In dollars per head terms this sale was in a similar realm to what has been seen recently at $300 to $393/head for export lambs. But taking into account less weight and finish the estimated carcass cost was dearer at 1050c to over 1100c/kg. The best trade lambs also recorded dearer carcass price results. There was also a price rally on Merino lambs as they offered some of the bigger runs, with light weight pens gaining $10 to $20/head despite little fat cover at times. The dearer rates for most lamb categories were achieved despite a couple of exporters not operating and some top-end domestic orders being unable to get a start due to supply and quality constraints.

Heavy export lambs $340 to $393/head. The heavy 26-30kg cwt crossbred lambs $280 to $335 and there was some much dearer carcass price results in this run for neat pens either side of 28kg cwt. Best trade lambs $240 to $290/head, with plainer and lighter types $190 to $230/head. Best processing lambs 1050c to 1150c/kg cwt, second tier 980c to 1050c/kg cwt. Competition intensified for Merino lambs, the lead trades $220 to $280/head to push higher into the 900c/kg cwt price range and over 1000c/kg at times. Light weight Merino lambs under 20kg cwt were noticeably dearer at $150 to $204/head for the better presented types, with lighter MK bag lamb Merino pens at $94 to $155/head. Demand for light lambs of all grades was stronger in this market, even for lines showing little fat cover.

Just shy of 6000 sheep were yarded, and they were mostly trade and lighter types in score 1 and 2 condition. Heavy sheep were unchanged with a major norther exporter still out for maintenance, while lighter mutton was dearer by $10 to $20/head. Heavy Dorper ewes to $248/head, crossbreds to $246/head, Merino ewes to $240/head and Merino wethers to $195/head. Most heavier mutton $170 to $220/head, with a lot of light and trade sheep at $100 to $150/head; the most secondary ewes down to $68/head. The estimated rate for mutton was 650c to 750c/kg cwt.

Market reporter: Jenny Kelly