The annual survey, conducted by MLA’s National Livestock Reporting Service (NLRS), provides a comprehensive snapshot of saleyard activity for the financial year ending June 30, 2025. It captured data from 73 cattle and 35 sheep facilities across Australia.
NLRS operations manager for MLA Stephanie Pitt said the results reflected a strong recovery in livestock movement and market confidence across the country.
The survey found cattle transactions rose to 4.84 million head, up from 4.18 million in 2023-24, while sheep transactions increased to 16.39 million head, up from 14.09 million in 2023-24.
NSW led the nation with 1.82 million cattle and 9.24 million sheep transacted, marking a 22.2 per cent and 13.4 per cent increase respectively.
Queensland saw a 20.9 per cent rise in cattle transactions, with Roma, Dalby and Charters Towers among the top-performing saleyards.
Victoria transacted 1.16 million cattle and 4.84 million sheep, with strong growth in Ballarat, Bendigo and Leongatha.
Western Australia posted the largest percentage increase in sheep transactions at 60.2 per cent, driven by activity at Katanning and Muchea.
Tasmania experienced a 23.1 per cent rise in sheep transactions, while cattle numbers dipped slightly by 5.2 per cent.
The top-performing saleyards (in terms of percentage increase):
- Dubbo Regional Livestock Market (NSW) saw a 31.9 per cent increase in cattle throughput.
- Forbes Central West Livestock Exchange (NSW) recorded a 33.5 per cent rise in sheep transactions.
- Katanning Regional Sheep Saleyard (WA) doubled its throughput, up 100.3 per cent year-on-year.
