- Store cattle to be sold weekly at Leongatha
NEW holding yards for 2500 cattle will be finished at Victoria’s largest saleyards at Koonwarra within the next month.
Part of the Victorian Livestock Exchange (VLE) master plan for the Leongatha saleyards, these holding yards will have soft flooring and feeders on the outside rails.
VLE Managing Director Brian Paynter said this $300,000 investment will make it easier to transition from sale to transport and provide the complex with additional capacity.
“These yards will make sure VLE Leongatha can handle 6000 cattle at any one time – sometimes even a few hundred more – ideal timing for those farmers looking to transition their cattle marketing from Pakenham to Leongatha,” he said.
“These new yards will have covered feeders along the outside rails which are easily accessible for the livestock and enable easier and faster pen cleaning.”
Other changes slated for VLE Leongatha as part of its master plan include an additional 9000 square metres of undercover holding yards, a new four-bay truck wash, truck driver amenities and tea rooms, a truck fuel depot, new livestock agent offices with a board room, new maintenance shed and workshop and a 1500 square metre undercover sheep selling facility.
VLE Leongatha sold 160,000 cattle this financial year – up 26 per cent from 2022/23. Victoria’s highest throughput saleyard is planning for even more cattle following the closure of the Pakenham saleyards last week.
Mr Paynter said VLE Leongatha could match the throughput of Australia’s largest selling centre, the saleyards at Roma, Queensland if 80 per cent of the cattle sold at Pakenham moves across to Leongatha.
Elders Leongatha Branch Manager Rohan McRae is confident Leongatha’s established market can handle extra cattle from Pakenham and said winter was the ideal time for the transition.
“July and August are generally quieter and that gives us time to get the saleyards settled, with the infrastructure upgrades and work done to handle the extra numbers, before they really begin to arrive in spring and summer,” Mr McRae said.
“Good, consistent lines of cattle brings buyers and I’m confident all the major buyers will continue to support Leongatha,” he said.
In a letter to the South Gippsland Stock Agents Association this week, Mr Paynter revealed plans to make Leongatha’s saleyards the “busiest in Australia”.
“We now have the opportunity to build something great at VLE Leongatha, to set up the saleyards complex as the busiest in Australia, by building infrastructure for future generations,” Mr Paynter said.
However, in a major new move for Leongatha, agents will alternate selling store cattle fortnightly.
“There is no doubt this time will be challenging but with cooperation, the VLE is confident cattle numbers can be managed efficiently. With this in mind, the VLE has decided that the best way to manage the throughput, particularly store sales, is to split the sales between agents,” Mr Paynter said this week.
“Extensive discussions with agents, transporters and all saleyards’ stakeholders have led to this decision.
“Agents made it very clear that their business model was built around yarding cattle at store markets on a fortnightly basis. Animal welfare was paramount in this decision.”
Starting in August, the store sales will be split along the following lines; Nutrien/SEJ one week and Elders/Alex Scott & Staff/Baw Baw Livestock/Phelan & Henderson & Co and ESB the next.
“The group of five agents will start on the first store sale in August, on August 1. The following week Nutrien/SEJ will sell, on August 8. Sales will continue to rotate on a fortnightly basis.
“Splitting the store markets is the best way to ensure consistent cattle numbers at the yards on a weekly basis,” Mr Paynter said.
The change has as much to do with the efficient use of the Leongatha facility and staff as it does with what suits agents. But will store cattle buyers turn up weekly?
Time will tell how successful the new arrangements turn out to be.
