Weekly cattle and sheep market wrap

16 Jan 2026

Key points

Extreme weather in Queensland and Victoria disrupted saleyard supply and buyer attendance, driving uneven yardings and price volatility.
Restocker demand remained strong, lifting the Yearling Steer Indicator 37¢ to 497¢/kg liveweight (lwt), while processor cow prices held despite higher yardings.
Cattle slaughter continued to rise into 2026, up 17% year-on-year, while sheep and lamb slaughter remained well below last year.

Cattle market

The Central Queensland Livestock Exchange at Gracemere was cancelled due to flooding and saleyard supply across QLD remained low.

Saleyard prices in NSW were mostly quality driven. Hot and dry conditions over the break forced some secondary condition lines to be offered. Singleton reached its highest yarding since February 2018 with 1,816 head, mostly steer and heifer weaners. Dubbo experienced a similar lift in numbers.

The Restocker Yearling Steer Indicator lifted 37¢ to 497¢/kg lwt, driven by active restocker demand, particularly from southern QLD and northern NSW. It was a strong week in Roma with 200−280kg yearling steers selling for up to 598¢/kg, and 280−330kg steers reaching 596¢/kg.

The Processor Cow Indicator dipped 2¢ to 384¢/kg lwt, driven by a yarding increase to 6,906 head. Despite solid buyer attendance, prices held due to a higher supply of well-finished cattle. Lighter cows attracted strong demand in NSW markets.

Sheep market

Across Victoria, there was a clear price divide between well-weighted, good-quality lambs and drier, plainer types. A good run of unshorn lambs at the Central Victorian Livestock Exchange in Ballarat attracted strong restocker and feedlot demand.

Despite some saleyards lacking quality mutton, intense competition supported firm prices across all states. The Mutton Indicator lifted 4¢ to 758¢/kg carcase weight (cwt). A week-on-week yarding increase of 17,817 head allowed buyers to be more selective in the heavyweight category.

The Heavy Lamb Indicator dropped 27¢ to 1,044¢/kg cwt, reflecting a lack of heavy lambs and inconsistent buyer participation in key markets.

Slaughter

Week ending 9 January 2026.

Cattle

Cattle slaughter reached 127,354 head, up 17% year-on-year. Female slaughter totalled 49,263 head and represented an FSR (female slaughter rate) of 39%.

State-by-state cattle slaughter:

NSW: down 3% year-on-year, to 31,241
Queensland: up 29% year-on-year, to 59,319
Victoria: up 28% year-on-year, to 24,636
SA: down 16% year-on-year, to 3,049
Tasmania: up 2% year-on-year, to 4,995
WA: up 61% year-on-year, to 4,114

Sheepmeat

Sheep slaughter remained low at 129,989 head, down 34% year-on-year. NSW (38,997) and SA (8,214) stayed well below year-ago figures. Victoria fell 10% to 49,945 head and WA declined 21% to 25,129 head.

Lamb slaughter also continued to decline into 2026, down 3% to 458,252 head.

State-by-state lamb slaughter:

NSW: down 11% year-on-year, to 98,033
Queensland: down 9% year-on-year, to 1,136
Victoria: up 12% year-on-year, to 265,194
SA: down 36% year-on-year, to 36,068
Tasmania: down 5% year-on-year, to 8,900
WA: down 14% year-on-year, to 48,921

Attribute content to Stephanie Pitt, NLRS Manager.

Information correct at time of publication on 16 January 2026.

MLA makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness or currency of any information contained in this publication. Your use of, or reliance on, any content is entirely at your own risk and MLA accepts no liability for any losses or damages incurred by you as a result of that use or reliance. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior written consent of MLA. All use of MLA publications, reports and information is subject to MLA’s Market Report and Information Terms of Use.