Kerr & Co principal Michael Kerr says current mutton prices at the Hamilton saleyards are the highest they have been during his 58-year career as a stock agent.
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Mr Kerr said mutton was “as dear as we have ever seen it at Hamilton.”
He said ewes sold at Hamilton’s regular sheep and lambs market on Wednesday for up to $170 a head and bare-shorn wethers for $150 a head.
“Most good mutton sheep are selling for $5-$5.50 a kilogram,” Mr Kerr said.
About 5000 mutton sheep were offered at Wednesday’s market but that was the lowest number for some time, he said.
“Up until now, we have had 10,000 sheep each week,” Mr Kerr said.
He attributed the high prices to the shortage of sheep throughout Australia’s eastern states.
The shortage was accentuated at this time of year because many ewes were having lambs and not being sold.
“Only the ewes not in lamb are getting sold,” Mr Kerr said.
He said the excellent mutton prices were pushing the price per head for ewes and wethers close to that of lambs but lambs were still ahead on a price per kilogram basis.
Mr Kerr said the top price for lambs at Wednesday’s market was $224 a head.
“Most lambs are making $200.
“Most good trade lambs are from $165 to $190.
“Really heavy lambs are making from $220-$240.
“That equates to $6.50-$7 a kg,” Mr Kerr said.
Lamb prices had been higher during his career but not those for mutton, he said.
Among the local sheep producers sharing in the recent good prices was Tony Fleetwood of Byaduk North who was very pleased with the price he received for ewes he sold to to the Midfield Group.
Geoff Hocking of Broadwater said he received about $220 for heavy lambs in February at Hamilton and “good money” for ewes at the start of this year.
In its latest sheep industry update, Meat & Livestock Australia said there was a very strong move by sheep producers to retain ewes for flock rebuilding and to keep Merino wethers for wool production.
It said the result was an even greater year-on-year decline in lamb slaughter and production than what was originally forecast for 2017.
Mutton slaughter for 2017 was expected to be the second lowest on record.
The combined result was that 2.7 million fewer sheep and lambs were expected to be processed in 2017 which, when combined with high wool prices, suggested that Australian sheep and lamb markets were likely to be the strongest ever – even with the poor April to June rainfall outlook, the MLA said.
