Dannevirke sheep sale fetches reasonable prices

These prime lambs sold for $133 a head - just above the average.

A small yarding of prime sheep, typical of this time of the year when farmers are down to their winter carrying numbers, yielded an average of just $77/head for the 24 prime ewes but a much better $130 for the 70 prime lambs.

These store wether lambs from BC Mathews sold for $125 a head.

Nearly 1000 store lambs went under the hammer and returned respectable returns, several yardings of romney cryptos and wethers almost reaching the prime prices at $120-130/head.

The average store lamb price was a good $125/head wethers, and ewes the same price and cryptorchids $5 higher.

S. Brown received $130.50 for these top store crypto lambs.

The prices are $15/head down on two months ago for primes and $20-30 down for store lambs, reflecting the decreased demand from China and a consequent drop in the meat schedule.

These store ewe lambs sold for $125/head.

This comes at a bad time when farmers are fighting the weather, trying to manage rising costs and are coming under pressure from government policies - but livestock agents felt the prices at this week’s sale were reasonable and reflected those from sales across the country.