About MLA's Market Information Service

MLA’s Market Information Service provides the red meat industry with timely, accurate and independent market information. The service consists of eight analysts and 27 livestock market officers (LMOs) who attend and report up to 70 saleyard markets per week.

Saleyards reported by MLA’s Market Information team are selected based on their significance to both the region and the industry. The decision to report markets is assisted by the annual national saleyard surveys to ensure an adequate proportion of the Australian cattle and sheep market is captured.

MLA’s Market Information Service is ISO Quality Assurance accredited. Accuracy assurance is achieved in a number of ways including:

• Accreditation of LMOs - All LMOs are regularly assessed to ensure they maintain their national accreditation as livestock assessors. LMOs are required to meet a consistent standard of accuracy in the assessment of liveweight, carcase weight, dressing percentage, fat scoring and muscle scoring.
• Market coverage - To ensure that a valid data sample is collected at each sale, LMOs must record at least 70% of the total stock offered for sale.
• Automation of data collection - Automated data capture devices and a sophisticated database are used to improve the efficiency and optimise the accuracy of the data collected.
• Auditing of all data and reports - All data and reports are stringently cross-checked in the field and by head office prior to publication.

Guaranteeing the service's accuracy is not only restricted to the preparation of physical market reports. Market Information compiles reports on direct sales, slaughter statistics and skin prices from reliable industry sources. The only way this can be accurately achieved is ongoing liaison with industry.

This information is then further analysed by head-office staff to create detailed, tailored reports for sectors and regions within the industry. This includes detailed trends and analysis on industry projections, live export, lot feeding, co-products and export markets.

Have further questions? Have a look through our Frequently Asked Questions or contact us on the details above.