Fragmentation of southwest Vic yards stretches buyers

SOUTHWEST Victoria is certainly spoiled for choice when it comes to saleyards, with consensus that fragmentation is doing damage.

Southwest squeeze: Saleyards in the region are experiencing lower pennings, possibly due to numbers being spread across more yards.

SOUTHWEST Victoria is spoiled for choice when it comes to saleyards, and there seems to be a consensus that the fragmentation is doing damage.

A day trip could easily cover the five saleyards. A journey of 260km can take in the Hamilton, Mortlake, Warrnambool, Camperdown and Colac saleyards.

However, it’s a trip that buyers don’t seem to make, with reports they attend some sales and avoid others.

Data from the National Livestock Reporting Service shows when the new saleyards opened at Mortlake prime cattle numbers began strongly, before plateauing. The data also shows other saleyards in the region have generally experienced lower pennings this year, perhaps due to numbers being spread across more yards.

The Weekly Times understands agents met last week and discussed how best to tackle the problem. However, they did not provide details of their solution.

Western Victorian Livestock Exchange Agents Association’s new president, Glenn Judd, said it would be ideal to “try and put all our cattle into the one yard, which would bring more buyers”.

However, Mr Judd ruled out intervention.

“I think it’s (got to be) a natural process, how it’ll all work. Nobody can go in and say ‘Mr Smith has to sell his cattle here or there’. The agents will work it out together.”

Mr Judd said he was sure sales would migrate to Mortlake, but “it’s going to take time for change, which is disappointing”. He said a “few sets of yards” needed to go.

Mr Judd said numbers at yards had been down on expectations, due to competition from other yards.

“Something has got to give eventually, and new saleyards aren’t going to give; old ones will give first,” he said.

“It’s common sense that the yards should have been built at Mortlake and we will work as hard as we can to put cattle into those yards.”

Outgoing Agents Association president Bruce Redpath would not comment on whether formal discussions had taken place between agents last week, but said he did not believe there was room for so many saleyards in the south west.

“There needs to be one major selling complex,” Mr Redpath said.

“As far as I’m concerned it’s all status quo (at Mortlake) and the complex here is outstanding.”