A national voice for saleyards has been formed after 50 years of the Australian Livestock Saleyards Association

A new group has formed to reflect ongoing industry structural changes and the need for a combined national voice for saleyard operators.

LIVESTOCK: Ballarat Saleyards cattle salesPICTURED: Ballarat Saleyards cattle sales. Agents selling cattle. Generic cattle sales. Stock Photo.Picture: Zoe Phillips

The shake-up of the saleyards sector continues and the latest change comes to how the sector is represented.

The change, starting next week. sees the end of the Australian Livestock Saleyards Association after 50 years, with its membership to move to the new national Saleyards Australia Pty Ltd organisation.

The Australian Livestock Marketing Association has also transferred its membership base to the new organisation.

The changes have been the result of extensive talks between ALSA and ALMA since late 2023.

Outgoing ALSA president Gerald Leach said the change was significant, and the “new Saleyards Australia finally achieving full national representation’ and that the restructured group was “looking forward to working as one membership which will strengthen our member’s voices and the advocacy work that is taken to represent them”.

“The closure of ALSA represents the end of an era for this organisation which has proudly represented southern saleyards for almost 50 years, but reflected ongoing industry structural changes and the need for a combined national voice,” he said.

ALSA was previously known as the Municipal Saleyards Association of Victoria before changing to the Livestock Saleyards Association of Victoria and finally as the Australian Livestock Saleyards Association in 2016.

Mr Leach said that during this time, it has provided membership services to the saleyard sector across, Victoria, Southern NSW and South Australia.

“In recent years it has been actively involved in a range of industry innovations including the successful introduction of Sheep EID in Victoria and the trialling of eNVD’s,” he said.

Outgoing ALSA executive officer Mark McDonald said “during its operations ALSA has

built up a strong network of industry and government relationships and these are expected to

continue in support of the southern saleyard membership base”.

It comes as several yards have closed in recent years, including in June, Camperdown held its final auction after five decades of trade.

Large, privately owned yards are consolidating parts of the physical selling systems in many areas, including RLX’s portfolio of ten yards including those at Yass and Mortlake.