AUSTRALIA-MUTTON TRADE NEVER BEEN BETTER.
National average mutton prices ended Thursday at 228¢/kg (carcase weight) - the highest since June 2005 – on the back of intense competition between processors, live exporters and restockers for the tight sheep yarding.
Since the start of 2009, national mutton supply at saleyards covered by Meat and Livestock Australia’s National Livestock Reporting Service has declined 2pc, to 1,723,922 head, when compared to the same period last year.
MLA says the brunt of this fall was recorded in SA, where numbers during the calendar year to mid April plummeted 34pc year-on-year, while sheep yardings in Victoria and WA both dropped 7pc year-on-year.
Sheep yardings in NSW increased 23pc year-on-year, as the higher prices at physical markets encouraged sheep onto the market.
Victoria recorded the highest mutton prices during the week, lifting 63¢ year-on-year to settle at 255¢/kg, while the WA mutton indicator finished at 210¢ – 80¢/kg dearer year-on-year.