SA LIVESTOCK EXCHANGE DUBLIN REPORT
Sheep
Numbers were good at the SA Livestock Exchange on January 7 as agents yarded about 6700 lambs and 1800 sheep to total 8500 head overall. These sold to the usual field of trade and processor buyers along with a number of restocker orders and specialty butchers.
Quality was very mixed and this produced an erratic sale with lambs easing in price and the mutton selling to similar rates as the last market.
Light lambs to the trade sold from $45 to $65, with merinos reaching $74 per head. Light trade types sold from $128 to $150 for both crossbreds and merinos as restocker orders operated from $40 to $126 per head again for both types.
Tradeweight lots made from $157 to $186 for the crossbreds as similar merinos made from $145 to $173, with exotic breeds making to $125 per head with the best of the lamb sales selling from 750 cents to 780 cents per kilogram carcase weight.
Heavy crossbreds ranged from $194 to $210 with merinos reaching $170 with only a small number of extra heavy pens selling from $220 to the market high of $242 per head.
Light hoggets sold from $55 to $70 as the heavier pens returned from $122 to $176, with wethers selling from $102 to $150 per head.
Light ewes made from $20 to $70 as heavier lots made from $72 to $113, with most sales here from 360 cents to 410 cents to average 380 cents per kilogram carcase weight, as rams sold from $10 to $74 per head.
Cattle
Numbers remained small to start the year as agents yarded 224 cattle and 35 open auction calves. The yarding consisted of mainly yearlings with only a few heavier lots.
These sold to the usual buying field where the mixed quality offering sold to solid rates to start the year.
A small number of vealers sold to 304 cents as yearling steers attracted the trade from 270 cents to 350 cents, with restocker orders purchasing a significant amount from 238 cents to 356 cents per kilogram.
Yearling heifers sold to the trade from 200 cents to 318 cents, and to restocker orders from 246 cents to 310 cents per kilogram. The few grown heifers ranged from 270 cents to 310 cents as light cows returned from 100 cents to 180 cents per kilogram.
Heavy cows ranged from 180 cents to 250 cents as bulls reached 250 cents per kilogram.
