SWAN Hill Rural City Council’s decision to review the future of the town’s saleyards has drawn interest from the industry, producers and politicians.
Swan Hill Livestock Exchange has been running since 1938, but its owner/operator SHRCC claims there is “no clear pathway to long-term viability under its current model”.
The council also said the exchange has operated at a loss for several years, with Mayor Cr Stuart King saying a strategic review into the saleyards was done “to identify key challenges and opportunities for the facility”.
Now the council is asking the community for its thoughts.
But it hasn’t had to wait for other feedback.
Australian Livestock and Property Agents Association chief executive Peter Baldwin told North West Farmer “saleyards are crucial for the Australian livestock industry”.
“How could any elected official who calls themselves a local, not take a step back, consult the real people who provide the economic drivers into the wider rural economy and then formulate a strategy to galvanise all key stakeholders into a viable and mutually beneficial local asset?”
Mr Baldwin said saleyards serve as a key marketing channel, particularly for small-scale producers, who are empowered to be able to buy and sell livestock at their discretion irrespective of the season.
“They are essential for the sheep and cattle industry, which is a major contributor to the Australian economy, supporting local jobs, local businesses and contributing to the agricultural sector’s goals,” he added.
“Country livestock auction markets have historically and will into the future remain an outstanding feature of the commercial structure of rural Australia, delivering significant economic benefits to the local regions, and providing a unique means by which social connections within rural communities can be cultivated.
“Is there nothing more depressing than to drive through a country town which once took pride in its pastoral history only to find a dilapidated set of saleyards, a showground in disrepair and the old department store vacant?”
Mallee grain grower and cattle producer Leonard Vallance has also attacked any suggestion the saleyards might be either closed or repurposed.
Mr Vallance said he had serious concerns about claims the saleyards are losing money at a time when throughput has increased 26 per cent.
He said he sees the ‘strategic review’ announcement as the first step in simply shutting the yards down.
“Mildura owns its Ouyen saleyards, which are run by a committee of management, and they are a real success story,” Mr Vallance said.
“They have also been very innovative and installed the truck wash there, which goes year round and handles huge numbers to boost revenue.
“Any suggestion the yards might be handed over to the agents to run is ridiculous; they are in the selling business, not the yard management business.
“Swan Hill’s council needs to be a lot more transparent and show us all the figures about how the yards are run and what they are handling each year.”
Member for Murray Plains, Peter Walsh, said he has also been contacted by a number of livestock producers – and not just in his electorate, which includes Swan Hill.
Mr Walsh said anytime you hear about ‘strategic reviews’ a lot of people interpret that as big changes are coming, and not the changes you want.
He said he would also be making enquiries about the pros and cons of the SHRCC announcement of its review and its appeal for public comment on the future of the saleyards.
“It is a bit pointless people commenting if they don’t understand the livestock history, and I would also like to see a lot more detail so considered decisions can be made,” he said.
“The Swan Hill saleyards have been running for 87 years, and are an important marketing option for cattle producers in northern and northwest Victoria, and the whole Mallee, as neither Ouyen nor Bendigo have cattle sales,” he said.
“The next nearest option I think would be Echuca, and that’s a long way from the west of the state.”
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