Australian Red Meat Markets React to Tightened Supply
Weekly Australian Cattle and Sheep Markets: Supply Shifts Impact Prices
The latest Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) weekly market wrap reveals a dynamic period for Australian cattle and sheep, with reduced supply notably influencing prices across various indicators. The week ending May 16, 2025, saw significant movements in yardings, prices, and slaughter rates.
Cattle Market Highlights: The cattle market experienced an uplift across all indicators, primarily driven by sustained buyer demand against a backdrop of reduced supply. National yardings eased considerably by 25,000 head, settling at 55,000 head for the week—nearly a 50% reduction from two weeks prior. While most states saw reductions, Tasmania was an exception.
Cow prices observed a lift this week, with the indicator price increasing by 12¢ to 256¢/kg liveweight (lwt), despite a monthly reduction. Victoria led the cow market, averaging 263¢/kg lwt. Demand for steers remained robust, with heavy steers climbing 19¢ to 314¢/kg lwt, feeders gaining 11¢ to 378¢/kg lwt, and restockers up 14¢ to 391¢/kg lwt.
Sheep Market Highlights: The lamb market bounced back, fuelled by strong demand and reduced supply. National lamb yardings eased 13% to 191,000 head after three weeks of high offerings, while sheep yardings decreased 9% to 105,000 head, with all states showing combined reductions.
Export lambs were in high demand, propelling the National Heavy Lamb Indicator up 44¢ from the previous week to 902¢/kg carcase weight (cwt), with some reaching the 1,000¢ mark. New South Wales largely drove this national price. Trade lambs also saw an increase of 37¢ to 876¢/kg cwt. Mutton prices continued their fluctuating trend, rising 7¢ to 570¢/kg cwt, primarily due to processor demand.
Slaughter Figures (Week ending May 16, 2025): National cattle slaughter increased by 6% to 152,396 head, marking the largest weekly throughput since December 2019, reflecting strong supply and increased processor demand in a favourable global market.
National lamb slaughter eased by 3% to 506,598 head, though remaining above 500,000 for a third consecutive week. Mutton slaughter notably lifted by 11% to 198,854 head, as a surge in mutton supply reached processors.
Note: Flooding in the Upper Hunter and Mid North Coast regions impacted cattle and sheep supply through saleyards during this period.
Original source: MLA
