THE latest survey data from sheep and wool producers shows that floods and weather hampered lamb selling in the final months of 2022, but that producers are planning to make up this shortfall in the first half of 2023.
The survey data has been published in the Sheep Producer Intentions PULSE survey (formally known as the MLA and AWI Sheepmeat and Wool survey).
The survey provides updated information that builds on the October 2022 full Sheep Producer Intentions Survey.
Data was collected across several topics; however the focus of the October 2022 survey was specifically on the lamb flock of producers and their intentions for the remainder of the spring flush and onward to June 2023.
The October 2022 survey reported on an estimate of the planned and forecasted lamb sales covering three time periods:
– Reported sales: sales of lambs that had been made up to the point of the producer completing the October survey – that is sometime between September 29 to October 24, 2022.
– Planned sales: this was a producer estimate of the sales to be made in the remaining spring flush and the period up to December 31, 2022.
– Forecast sales: this was a producer forecast of their lamb sales across the first half of 2023 (January to June).
The latest pulse survey data showed that the majority of producers made some change to their planned 2022 sales volumes:
– 51 per cent sold fewer lambs than expected in this period.
– 13 per cent reported they sold more lambs than expected.
– The remaining 36 per cent sold the number of lambs they planned.
According to MLA’s market information analyst Jenny Lim, reasons behind the 51 per cent of producers reporting they sold fewer lambs were varied but essentially broke down into four key explanations.
“Floods and other challenging weather conditions impacted many producers’ ability to achieve the targeted lamb performance,” she said.
“Other producers cited that lamb prices were below expectations and fewer lambs than expected were available. Some producers noted that on-farm priorities overtook their lamb sales processes.”
