PRICES for livestock have plummeted in Bendigo over the past month as supply outweighs demand.
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Rodwells Bendigo manager Nick Byrne said the last month had seen a downward trend in prices of mutton, lambs and cattle.
“It’s been really tough going,” he said.
“Mutton has been tough for a good while and cattle have taken a significant drop in prices over the last fortnight.”
Mr Byrne said lack of export demand for lambs had led to the price drop.
He said the seasonal conditions had not helped with the quality of the lambs.
“Having said that, the quality of the lambs yarded has been slipping as well so that counts for a little bit of the fall in price.
“It’s the weather. A lot of the northern lands have gone dry.”
Elders livestock manager Nigel Starick agreed the last month had been tough for producers.
“Last week we probably saw the biggest fall in the market purely based on the glut of lambs.”
He said last week there were 91,000 lambs through Victorian saleyards.
“In Ballarat and Hamilton, the lambs were two weeks behind where they were last year, so it’s put pressure on the market.”
Mr Starick said the lack of rain had not helped.
“There’s a lot of lambs which missed out on rain in September and October which didn’t give the grass time to grow so the lambs are not as fresh,” he said.
“The quality is just not there.”
Mr Starick was positive things would improve by January.
“December is going to be a tough month...(but) leading into January we are hoping its going to be OK.”