Work on the new regional saleyards at Mortlake is progressing well with the developers expecting it to be completed in time for new year’s January weaner sales.
Western Victoria Livestock Exchange (WVLX) director Brendan Abbey said it hoped to have the new saleyards open in time to attract vendors who have in the past sold at the January weaner sales in Hamilton.
“In the first year we hope to get a small percentage and build upon that in later years,” Mr Abbey said.
Fellow WVLX director Rohan Arnold said the “weather gods” had been kind to the project and all earthworks and electrical cabling as well as work for water services had been completed.
A number of large concrete slabs had been laid and some of the cattle yards had been erected, Mr Arnold said. Rubber matting would be laid in the bull pen and the selling yards would have a soft floor comprising a “secret recipe” of components, he said.
The new 430-selling pen saleyards will set the stage for a battle between it and the Warrnambool City Council-owned saleyards in Caramut Road.
The new saleyards aims to put through about 170,000 cattle in its first year and take away some of the throughput from Warrnambool saleyards, which has traded more than 90,000 cattle a year in recent years.
Mr Abbey said the new saleyards had the support of large corporate livestock agencies that had Warrnambool branches such as Landmark, Elders and Saffin Kerr Bowen Rodwells but none yet from the Warrnambool-based livestock agencies. It also has the support of several other agents throughout the south-west.
But Mr Arnold has conceded it was cattle producers, through their agents, who had the final say on where cattle were sold.
The Warrnambool Stock Agents Association said earlier this year it had the support of all major livestock agencies operating at the Warrnambool saleyards, including local branches of large corporate agencies, to continue using Warrnambool.
