Market Morsel: It’s nearly a half flush

Market Morsel

Sale yard throughput across the east cost has been lacklustre over November. Cattle yardings have lifted for the week ending 25th November thanks to gains in Queensland & NSW but lamb throughput is still struggling to make up the normal spring numbers, particularly in Victoria.

There was a 34% lift in saleyard numbers in Victoria from the previous week, but that was a particularly low base to bounce off at nearly 53,000 head. The week ending 25th November saw 70,956 head of lamb presented at Victorian saleyards, which is 44% under the normal flush volumes seen at this time in the year. It’s fair to say that it is pretty much a half flush for Victoria presently.

NSW made up for the abnormally low Victorian lamb volumes with nearly 105,000 head of lamb throughput, a 73% gain on the week prior, but again this was off a relatively low base. NSW lamb yarding levels are at least sitting above the seasonal average for this time of the year with 21% more lambs yarded than the five-year average trend shows.

Across the entire east coast 206,851 head of lamb were yarded and with Victoria putting in such a weak performance total east coast lamb volumes are sitting 16% below the average weekly levels that would be expected for this week in the year at nearly 250,000 head of lamb.