VLE's new managing director

Last Thursday, Brian Paynter, who had been chief financial officer for the last 16 months, stepped into Wayne Osborne's shoes to become the Victorian Livestock Exchange's managing director.

Mr Paynter was keen to scotch rumours that Mr Osborne was asked to leave - quite the opposite, he said - and hoped very little will change under his own leadership.

"VLE is a very, very good business and one of the things that I have been particularly pleased about is the agents and the buyers love Pakenham ... so my thought is that we will just need to make constant improvements to keep it up to date," Mr Paynter said.

While he's quick to say he's not a "career politician", the former accountant spent 2014-18 the local member of parliament and knows how to consult.

After a battery of questions from Stock & Land about the demands of livestock carriers for new multi-deck ramps, calls from agents to expand the overflowing yards, and the urging of Warragul saleyard users not to close the facility, Mr Paynter said he would first hold individual face-to-face meetings.

"I've only really been in this role for for less than a week, so it's for me to listen," he said.

"I'm talking to people that have been in the industry 30 and 40 years.

"I need to sit back and listen and take in their views and, and then I'll and then I'll have, you know, follow up discussions with them about how we can work together, but really, at this point of time, I'm listening."

Four of those Pakenham agents are Longwarry Saleyards directors but he said he would not be urging any of them to drop the project.

"It won't be a priority to dissuade anybody to do anything really," he said.

"I'll be discussing with them our business model and our partnership at Pakenham and Leongatha.

"I'm new to this role. They know I'm new, they know that they can have open and frank discussions with me about anything that's happened in the past, so all that has been said and done."

Even so, Mr Paynter is not totally new to the industry, having many clients in the meat and associated livestock industries.

In fact, his business, BF Paynter Pty Ltd, and Rich River Meat Exports, which is owned by abattoir owner Graeme Gathercole, share an Australian Business Number.

But Mr Paynter said there was no conflict of interest and he had no financial interest in any meat processing businesses.

Have you signed up to Stock & Land's daily newsletter? Register below to make sure you are up to date with everything that's important to Victorian agriculture.