Australian Cattle & Sheep Markets Rebound Strongly
Australian Cattle and Sheep Markets Rebound, Slaughter Rates Remain Robust
AUSTRALIA – May 30, 2025 – Australia’s cattle and sheep markets experienced a notable rebound in the week ending May 30, with prices returning to early-month levels across all key indicators. Despite recent rainfall impacting some supply, national slaughter rates remained robust, particularly for cattle.
According to Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA)’s latest weekly market wrap, the cattle market saw prices rise across the board. Yardings, the number of livestock presented at saleyards, decreased on the east coast due to rainfall, though Queensland maintained strong supply. A significant development was the Restocker Yearling Steer achieving a premium over other steer indicators, marking the largest gap between restockers and feeders since March.
The sheep market also displayed considerable strength, primarily driven by strong demand for heavy trade and export lambs. This demand pushed all sheep indicators upwards, with heavy lamb prices surpassing 1,000¢/kg carcase weight (cwt). Multiple saleyards recorded high average prices for heavy lambs, and trade weights also saw increases, nearing previous record levels.
Despite the recent rainfall, national cattle slaughter figures remained high, reaching the highest throughput observed since December 2019. While sheep and lamb slaughter decreased slightly during the week, it continued to stay above year-to-date comparisons from the previous year, indicating sustained activity in the processing sector. The MLA report highlights a dynamic period for Australia’s livestock industry, balancing weather impacts with strong market demand.
