South East silo to be put on the market

At least one of the 16 Viterra silos that will not be open this coming harvest is being put on the market.

• Silo closures frustrate farmers

Viterra has announced it will be selling its Millicent silo, one of the 16 SA sites the company announced it would not be opening for receivals this harvest.

But, the future of the other 15 silos is not yet decided.

Earlier this month, Viterra announced it was closing six sites that opened last year for the 2018-19 season, at Minnipa, Kyancutta, Brinkworth, Paskeville, Millicent and Walpeup, in Victoria. A further 11 sites that have not opened for a year or more were also being closed at Cungena, Waddikee, Kielpa, Wharminda, Orroroo, Redhill, Robertstown, Long Plains, Stockwell, Wunkar and Alawoona.

Viterra operations manager, Michael Hill said the future of sites will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

“Viterra intends to list its Millicent site for sale as a going concern and we expect to commence the sale process in the coming weeks,” he said.

“In the past, sites and infrastructure have been sold, leased or decommissioned.

“If sites are decommissioned, work is carried out to ensure they are safe and kept tidy.”

Mr Hill said any interested parties who wanted to discuss the future of sites or infrastructure could contact their local regional office or operations manager.

District Council of Orroroo Carrieton CEO Dylan Strong, who has been working with farmers affected by the Orroro closure, said he did not believe there would be much, if any, interest in taking on the local silo if it were to be offered for sale.

“I doubt very much that growers would have an interest in the whole site as a going concern,” he said.

“I think the most we can hope for is to be at the table when Viterra is making their determinations, so if the community had an interest in taking over some of the smaller infrastructure like the weigh bridge or sampling office, those options could be explored.”