Inverell stock and station agent John Mair said the trend was due to a reduced supply of sheep and lambs – driving up the market.

“It’s very strong at the moment,” Mr Mair said.

“There might be some demand from overseas but really it’s that there’s just a shortage of sheep at the moment because of all the years of drought.”

Meat and Livestock Australia reported good runs of trade weight lambs in Inverell this past month.

Trade weights improved $7, as the medium and heavy pens sold from $97 to $135 per head. 

The light weight lambs to the restockers gained $7 to range from $74 to $96 per head. Merino lambs reached $117 per head.

And it’s not just the sheep and lamb market that is booming.

A report into primary industries production reveals the NSW agricultural sector has hit a record high value of $13.9 billion.

The 2016 Performance, Data and Insights Report into primary industries showed the massive impact of New England and North West production levels across the 13 local government areas in the region.

The report revealed Gross Value of Production in the sector had jumped 17 per cent, translating to $2.1 billion more over the past two years.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources Barnaby Joyce said a lot of the momentum has come from the solid foundation the Coalition has established through its Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper.

“The $4 billion White Paper is already helping to create an environment in which farmers, producers, growers and exporters can thrive and seize opportunities. The White Paper underlines our willingness to back Australian agriculture and has helped foster greater confidence in the sector, increasing returns for our hard working farmers,” Minister Joyce said.