Southern season sees sheep yardings surge

Sheep numbers have additionally dropped, and whereas
they’re traditionally nonetheless excessive, the weekly common determine has fallen 4% in
the previous 4 weeks. Given the year-to-date turnoff and lack of grass in lots of sheep-producing
areas, the query is what number of are left within the paddock, and what impression that
can have on worth.

Trying on the first half of the 12 months, the
mixed sheep and lamb weekly yarding common for 2025 up to now is sitting at 2%
above final 12 months, and simply 39 head decrease than the newest highest 12 months being
2018. It equates to about 420,000 extra for the year-to-date than the identical time
final 12 months, and practically 1.5 million greater than the five-year-average for a similar
interval. Comparatively, Meat & Livestock Australia’s newest sheep trade
outlook projected sheep and lamb slaughter (not yardings) to fall by practically 2
million head this 12 months.

Sheep yardings have clearly been
influenced by the dearth of autumn rain within the south, and year-to-date complete
throughput is 10% above the identical interval final 12 months. In Victoria, the weekly
common sheep yarding is sitting under year-ago ranges, down 9%, whereas in NSW
the pattern has gone within the different path, up 8%. WA is the State with the third-largest
sheep yarding common, and has skilled the largest shift, lifting to its
highest degree since 2019 and 33% above 2024. The shift away from the soon-to-be
phased-out dwell export commerce has possible contributed.  

With flock numbers beginning off at their
highest level up to now decade, sheep provide hasn’t been of giant concern,
even on the again of drought-induced turn-off. The impression that turn-off and the
availability of grass this 12 months have had on the lamb crop is the massive query
as we head into spring. Weekly common lamb yardings nationally are proper on
par with final 12 months (trending at lower than 1% decrease), which is about 9% above
the five-year determine. East coast totals are 2% decrease year-on-year; nonetheless, Victorian
lamb throughput is dropping equally to their sheep, down 7%. NSW is up simply
1%.