Buyers for lambs’ wool and some selected hogget wool were very active in Christchurch as they worked to fill sales commitments, PGG Wrightson South Island wool sales manager Dave Burridge said.
Some finer microns, in the 28-30 range, were 8% or so higher in price than at the previous sale, and 30 to 32-micron were 2-4% higher.
The two markets closed the year on December 20 with a combined offering of 20,000 bales of wool, and this had an effect on cross-bred fleece 35-micron and above. These were 4-6% cheaper in Christchurch, with 38-micron down 10%. However, better prepared and coloured wool escaped the worst of the price fall.
Cross-bred, second-shear wools were 2-4% cheaper, with shorter fleeces most affected, and cross-bred oddments were 3-5% cheaper. Mid-micron wools were 3-5% cheaper on limited volumes.
The pass-in rate in Christchurch was 22%, but the Napier sale had a much stronger clearance, with just 4% passed-in, Wrightson’s North Island auctioneer Steve Fussell said.
In the full-wool, cross-bred market, 34 to 38-microns sold at a premium to the December 14 sale. Lambs’ wool also improved, though the top came off the very fine fleece prices. Oddments were cheaper.
Both venues have auctions scheduled for this Thursday, January 11.
CHRISTCHURCH sale (December 20)
Full wool, good to average.
(All clean price per kilogram)
26-micron, $10.50; 27, $9.70; 28, $8.44; 29, $7.09; 30, $6.71; 31, $4.41, up 20c; 32, $.4.07, up 9c; 33, $3.71, down 9c; 34, $3.65; 35, $3.24, down 19c; 36, $3.12, down 20c; 37, $3.19, down 11c; 38, $3.01, down 35c; 39, $3.04, down 24c.
Crossbred second shear:
33-micron, 3-4 inches, $3.63, up 13c; 35, 3-4 inches, $3.23, down 12c; 2-3 inches, $2.84; 37, 3-4 inches, $3.00, down 30c; 2-3 inches, $2.63, down 27c; 39, 3-5 inches, $2.96, down 34c; 3-4 inches, $2.94, down 28c; 2-3 inches, $2.68, down 22c.
Crossbred lambs’ wool:
28-micron, $6.45, up 30c; 29, $5.87, up 87c; 30, $4.57, up 39c; 31, $3.94, up 9c; 32, $3.80, up 9c; 33, $3.33, up 8c.
NAPIER sale (December 20)
Full wool, good to average.
25-micron, $10.82; 33, $3.70; 34, $3.68, up 2c; 35, $3.32, up 21c; 36, $3.13, up 1c; 38, $3.08, up 10c.
Cross-bred, second shear:
33-micron, 2-3 inches, $2.54; 35, 2-3 inches, $2.53, down 27c; 37, 3-4 inches, $2.95, up 2c; 2-3 inches, $2.53, down 26c; 39, 3-5 inches, $3.08, down 3c; 2-3 inches, $2.37.
Lambs’ wool:
27-micron, 2-3 inches, $7.83, down 29c; 28, 2-3 inches, $6.88, up 47c; 29, 2-3 inches, $5.95, down 9c.
