RECORDS have been broken with the number of sheep transferred from WA to the Eastern States in the first three months of 2020.
According to Ceduna Checkpoint figures a total of 514,000 sheep and lambs crossed the border - surpassing last year's total of 409,112 head.
It is the second highest number of sheep transferred east since 2010 which totalled more than one million head.
The figures eclipse the three-month data for the past 10 years which sits around 100,000 on average.
Since August last year there has been about 800,000 head sold into the Eastern States, with the majority being lambs.
January saw 27,050 head transported east, followed by 212,550 in February and just over 274,000 sheep and lambs in March.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) said for the first three months of 2020 "this brings the total to 514,000, 57 per cent of which were lambs and 43pc were adult sheep".
"Interstate transfers in the first three months of 2020 have surpassed all full-year totals except 2010," it said.
Farm consultant Alan Peggs said it was hard not to advise clients to sell while the prices on offer were so good - especially if they had surplus sheep.
"Given we don't know what the future holds, if you can generate cash it will help you withstand any ups and downs in the next 12 months," Mr Peggs said.
He said despite making the most of the situation, the majority of his clients had kept their nucleus flock, while some were building their flocks.
"Where they have surplus sheep or there's not enough water they have been prepared to sell ewes, if the price is right.
"One client sold $800,000 worth in the past couple of months.
"It was above budget and puts them in a slightly stronger position going into seeding."
Mr Peggs said one client budgeted to sell a line of 22-24kg Merino lambs at the Muchea Livestock Centre for $160 a head and ended up getting $200 a head.
They were sold to an Eastern States abattoir.
Mr Peggs said there was a huge demand in the east because of recent rains and green feed on the ground.
He said in the longer-term it could have a negative impact on the number of lambs available to supply the local abattoirs, but while the prices on offer were so good it was hard to look past the short term profits.
Mr Peggs said his clients were retaining their flocks and increasing the number of ewes mated if possible due to the strong and above average prices for meat and wool.
"There needs to be a focus on increased lambing rates as well as lamb survival," Mr Peggs said.
The focus would help to keep WA's flock numbers steady.
DPIRD senior development officer Mandy Curnow said "these latest figures reinforce the need for WA sheep producers to evaluate their flock selling strategies carefully to ensure the long term profitability and viability of their enterprise".
"While a large portion of the stock going east are lambs, we believe a growing portion are breeding stock which are being used for restocking," Ms Curnow said.
"Producers are reminded to think carefully about the impact the sale of young breeding stock will have on future flock profitability.
"We recognise that in many cases, WA producers are having to make difficult decisions, weighing up stocking rates in a challenging season with strong prices for livestock and the future potential of their sheep flock.
"The department's Sheep Flock Composition Calculator is a new tool that can assist producers to compare selling scenarios and model the outcomes of selling or retaining different age classes of ewes over six years."
