Casino cattle producer calls for community meeting to work through Northern Rivers Livestock Exchange dispute

The state’s second busiest livestock saleyard is in danger of becoming a multimillion dollar white elephant on the back of an ugly stand-off. Here’s what’s happening.

Northern Rivers Livestock Exchange at Casino.

Cattle producers in the state’s north remain on tenterhooks due to a dispute over fees between livestock agents and a Northern Rivers council.

It’s resulted in agents avoiding Northern Rivers Livestock Exchange (NRLX) at Casino – the second busiest cattle selling centre in NSW – in favour of other locations like Lismore.

Richmond Valley Council, which owns and operates the saleyard, has been locking horns with agents who say new fees introduced on July 1 are too steep.

Sales underway at the Northern Rivers Livestock Exchange.

The business usage fee has increased from $1 a head to 0.2 per cent of gross revenue, while vendor fees will stay the same for three years.

Meat & Livestock Australia found the NRLX was the second busiest cattle selling centre by the number of head sold in the 2021-22 financial year.

In an open letter published on social media, Casino cattle producer Allan Berry said: “It is a great disappointment to me that the present stand off at NRLX has been allowed to occur.”

Mr Berry said the council should step aside for an independent arbitrator if it could not “broker a compromise” with agents.

“It is causing harm and hardship to businesses in Casino,” he said.

“Cattle producers are spending more money on transport to have cattle carted longer distances.”

The Northern Rivers Livestock Exchange.

Mr Berry wrote that stress on cattle would be increased and some producers failed to have cattle picked up “because the turnaround time is a lot longer for trucks” and Lismore does not have enough ramps to unload.”

Mr Berry said money has been “leaking out” of Casino due to buyers, sellers, agents and truckies not visiting town for sales.

He said he believed 4000 cattle went under the hammer in 10 days of selling at Lismore.

Mr Berry pushed the council to “reinstate the agents under the old lease arrangement for six months” and to establish an NRLX “working committee”.

George & Fuhrmann auctioneer David O'Reilly with staff at the NRLX sales.

But he said he believed the “only way forward” was for the council to lease the facility “in its entirety to the agents”.

Mr Berry announced a public meeting at the Casino RSM Club from 5.30pm on September, 4

However, the council’s general manager Vaughan Macdonald said ratepayers were subsidising the cost to run NRLX.

“Now it’s time for the industry to respect that community investment by paying a fair share of the costs of operating the facility … ,” he said.

The Casino saleyards.

Mr Macdonald said the facility’s fees were in line with industry standards” and the council was trying to “break even”.

A $14 million NRLX upgrade was completed in 2020 and the council states it marked a “new era in livestock sales in northern NSW”.

Various agents have been contacted for comment.