Prices wrap: Ballarat prices drop as FMD talk

There is no FMD in Australia and border security is ramping up but farmers are anxious – shown in sale results from the Ballarat store sale.

Ballarat has acted as a barometer of the anxiety being caused by the threat of foot and mouth disease coming into Australia with some rates up to $300 cheaper than a fortnight ago.

The impact of the biosecurity threat is also playing out Australia-wide through online auctions, as almost half of more than 200 lots of cattle up for sale in an online auction today were either passed in or not bid on at all.

Agents yarded about 3100 at the Ballarat market today where rates were at least $100 cheaper for even quality lines of cattle and up to $300 cheaper for secondary runs.

TB White and sons director Leo White said most cattle were about $200 cheaper than a stellar sale about a month ago.

“The smell of FMD has affected confidence in cattle,” Mr White said.

“I think vendors expected there to be a fall in rates and they saw it (the price fall) coming.

“The smaller pen lots of cattle, and the poorer bred cattle, could have been $300 cheaper than a month ago.”

But Mr White said these falls were coming off the best rates that producers had ever seen and should be put in perspective.

“Yes, there has been a big drop in rates but we have had a terrific three years and perhaps the prices we have seen today is a reset of values,” he said.

It was also a tough day on AuctionsPlus today, where 211 lots were offered on the platform’s weaner and yearling sale but many failed to meet reserve and some lots received no bids at all. Of the offering, 103 or almost half were passed in and did not receive one bid.