Producers indicate intentions for flock recovery

The October Wool and Sheepmeat survey, conducted by both Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and the Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) has concluded.

The results provide a strong foundation for MLA and AWI’s industry forecasting and market information analysis, while also assisting to drive improvements in productivity and decision-making.

For the October survey, production trends and producer intentions have highlighted the focus on the national flock recovery as we move into next year. For the October wave last year, 26% of producers intended to increase their ewe flock, while this year 42% have indicated their intention to do so, and 52% intend on maintaining, showing marked improvement in the sentiment of rebuilding.

While the number of lambs on-hand declined 4% year-on-year to 25.9 million head, marking rates lifted 12% for Merinos to average 92%, and remained steady on year-ago levels for non-Merinos at 109%. Drought conditions last year saw heightened numbers of productive ewes and ewe lambs turned off, which has had flow-on effects for lamb numbers this year.

Looking ahead, with higher marking rates and a higher number of producers intent on increasing or maintaining flock sizes, the national flock recovery is set to gain momentum next year. The increase will likely be achieved by retaining more replacement ewes than normal, with 56% of respondents electing this as their main source of supply over the first quarter of 2021.

The October 2020 results will be available the week of 14 December. Results for the previous Wool and Sheepmeat surveys can be found here.

© Meat & Livestock Australia Limited, 2020