Processor buyers were forced to sharpen their bidding pencils this week following a sharp drop in saleyard supplies after widespread thunderstorm rains.
Achieving the greater lift in selling prices for the week was the mutton indicator, which bounced 60 cents a kilogram carcase weight into the 440c/kg range, while all other lamb and beef indexes jumped an average of 20c/kg cwt across the board.
Supplies in both the sheep and cattle selling pens were equally affected at around 15-25 per cent.
But it was foremost in the female sections of both sectors where supplies were trimmed and haltered as producers, once again, finally begin to gain some early confidence in a return to slightly better seasonal conditions.