Livestock Special Alert 2024

Inland Revenue have recently announced this year’s livestock Herd Scheme Values and we think this is a great opportunity to update you on the latest movements. The Herd Scheme Values are the National Average Market Values, determined by a process involving a review of the livestock market as at 30 April. Consider your livestock election […]

Livestock Special Alert 2024: Dairy Cattle

The values for Dairy this year have seen a very small fall in values on average across all female classes, but a small increase in values on average across all male classes. The largely stable values can be attributed to a flat dairy sector where total cow numbers continue to fall. The National Average Market […]

Livestock Special Alert 2024: Beef Cattle

In contrast to flat Dairy values, Beef values have fallen on average 6.5%, losing most of the gains in value from last year. The 2023-24 season was a difficult one with weak demand from China and Australian meat flooding the market. Prices for beef have held up well due to drought in North America and […]

Livestock Special Alert 2024: Sheep

Sheep values have all fallen substantially due to low lamb and mutton prices. Demand from China slowed significantly, whilst at the same time more lambs were born in spring increasing the number of prime and store lambs for sale, leading to lower values. Sheep meat values are now well below the 5-year average, with many […]

Livestock Special Alert 2024: Deer

Deer values saw further recovery from the low values of 2021 with an average 15% increase in values for Red Deer, Wapiti, and related breeds. Increased values can be attributed to strong demand for venison in European and North American markets. Other deer breeds have also seen a significant increase in value, increasing on average […]

Livestock Special Alert 2024: Goats

Goat values are a mixed bag with female values increasing and male values decreasing on average 17.8% and -16.8% respectively. The value of milking goats continues to decline with female milking goats down in value a further 27%. After increasing in value last year to all-time highs, breeding buck values are down 32%. Structural changes […]

Livestock Special Alert 2023: Sheep

Sheep values have all fallen from the high of 2022, slipping back an average of 10.2%. Whilst values have fallen, they are still either the second or third highest that they have ever been depending on which class of sheep you are looking at. The price of sheep meat weakened from the record highs of […]

Livestock Special Alert 2023: Goats

Goat values have increased on average 7.8% with almost all classes of fibre and meat producing goats at record highs. The value of milking goats continues to be well down from historic highs, except for breeding bucks which are at their highest value. Female milking goats have continued their decline, down a further 3.7% this […]

Livestock Special Alert 2023: Dairy Cattle

The values for Dairy this year have seen a fall in values across all female classes, but increases across all male classes. The fall in R1 heifer values can be attributed to the prohibition of live export by sea commencing from 30 April 2023. For the first time the National Average Market Value for R1 […]

Livestock Special Alert 2023: Beef

In contrast to Dairy values Beef values have increased on average 9% and are almost at record values for all classes. This is very much a tale of two halves of the 2022-23 season as exports and prices were weak in the first half of the season but have improved substantially as the season has […]