Weekly cattle and sheep market wrap
13 June 2025
Key points:
- Cattle market remained stable; the Heavy Steer Indicator was the strongest performer.
- Demand for processor-ready lambs drove the market as trade and heavy lambs tipped $10/kg cwt.
- Cattle slaughter numbers stayed strong, while winter supply reduced lamb numbers.
Cattle market
The cattle market remained stable this week. Yardings eased 24% to 56,797 head due to rainfall and the long weekend impacting some sales.
The Heavy Steer Indicator was the strongest performer, lifting 6¢ to 361¢/kg lwt. Demand in Victoria drove state heavy prices high, lifting the average price to 408¢/kg lwt.
All other indicators eased slightly week-on-week. Restocker heifers were unable to maintain the strong prices of the week prior, easing 11¢ to 319¢/kg lwt.
Sheep market
The sheep and lamb market remained firm as supply reduces through winter. Lamb yardings reduced 38% to 132,105 head and sheep yardings eased 42% to 59,637 head. These results were also driven by rainfall and a shorter operating week.
Markets were strong with records in all three finished prices. The Trade Lamb Indicator rose above 1,000¢/kg cwt for the first time ever, finishing the week at 1,050¢/kg cwt. Trade lambs outpriced the Heavy Lamb Indicator at 1,042¢/kg cwt which stayed strong. Light lambs lifted to 928¢/kg cwt.
Most major sales were strong. Wagga yardings and prices lifted with more fed lambs coming through. A pen of crossbreds just under 40kg record sold for $424/head. Yass saw the first sprinkling of new-season lambs.
Slaughter
Week ending 6 June 2025
Cattle
Cattle slaughter remained stable week-on-week. WA’s short processing week was countered by a slight 5% lift in NSW. National numbers remained within 570 head of the week prior with 152,530 head processed. Year-on-year strength has maintained, now sitting 10% above 2024 numbers.
State-by-state breakdown of cattle slaughter:
- NSW: down 5% to 36,340
- Queensland: down 1% to 79,652
- SA: down 1% to 3,766
- Tasmania: down 1% to 5,215
- Victoria: down 3% to 25,534
- WA: down 22% to 2,023.
Sheep
Lamb slaughter remained stable, lifting less than 1% despite the short WA processing week. Increases across SA, Victoria and NSW countered declines in other states for a total of 461,658 head processed. Sheep slaughter also lifted less than 1,000 head for 177,918. Combined slaughter was minimally affected to 639,576 head.
State-by-state breakdown of lamb slaughter:
- NSW: down 3% to 113,155
- Queensland: down 3% to 1,493
- SA: down 7% to 58,276
- Tasmania: down 4% to 9,543
- Victoria: down 4% to 230,588
- WA: down 23% to 48,603.
Attribute to: Erin Lukey, MLA Senior Market Information Analyst
