on summer lamb sales

According to MLA’s Market Information

Analyst Jenny Lim, the reasons behind the 51% of producers reporting they sold fewer lambs varied, but essentially broke down into four key explanations: foods and weather conditions, lower-than-expected lamb prices, fewer lambs available, and on-farm priorities taking precedence over lamb sales processes. Taking into account the lamb fock sizes, the analysis indicates that the 2022 lamb sales were closer to 8.75 million than the planned 11.84 million, a 29% decline in the average proportional change in lamb sales.

However, some producers are taking an agile approach to their lamb sales, adjusting their position based on other intervening factors.

The holding back of lambs has led to 55% of surveyed producers expecting to sell more lambs in the frst half of 2023 across most states and all farm sizes.

This translates to an increase of 3.27 million lambs to be sold on the estimates from the October survey, totaling 13.44 million, in the frst half of 2023.

The state’s run of devastating foods appears to be over, with forecasts of drier seasonal conditions ahead posing a heightened fre risk.

According to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, good soil moisture and high-water storage levels would support food and fbre production as rainfall eased.

NSW Farmers Western Division chair Gerard Glover – whose property was completely cut off by foodwater just three months ago – said it was welcome news not just for farmers but also communities in the bush.

“We’re all a bit sick of mopping up after 18 months of foods across the state, and there’s still a long way to go in terms of food recovery, but clear skies will certainly help lift moods,” Mr Glover said.

“This news from ABARES that we’re going to see more normal conditions is