Victoria’s saleyards striving to stay open
Farmers are finding ways to keep the Swan Hill saleyards alive despite a $106,000 loss last financial year, while Colac looks to compete with nearby major operators.
Murray River producers are battling to keep Swan Hill’s saleyards alive, after its throughput has more than halved in a decade.
Meanwhile, fellow council-owned facility Colac Livestock Selling Centre is finding new ways to boost numbers to compete with its large-scale neighbouring saleyards.
Swan Hill Rural City Council and its constituents met last week to keep the Swan Hill Regional Livestock Exchange gates open, after it reported a $106,000 loss last financial year.
Swan Hill Rural City Council mayor Stuart King said the council had faced “major” staffing issues, and had relied on staff from other parts of the business to keep the facility open.
Cr King said the council first discussed the saleyards’ options when they had planned a $2m roof instalment to address animal welfare concerns, but it had been tabled amid the saleyards’ viability discussions.
He said there had been increased throughput last financial year, but the saleyard still operated at a loss.
An Outcross Agri-Services consultants’ report said the selling centre was “not financially viable” in April, after it had run at a $323,789 loss in the 2023-24 financial year. In 2022-23, the saleyards had an operating loss of about $230,000.
Cattle throughput had halved within a decade, jumping from 40,000 cattle and 250,000 sheep in 2013-14 to 16,000 cattle and 110,000 sheep and lambs in the 2024-25 financial year.
In 2023-24 it hosted 12,500 cattle and 90,000 sheep and lambs, and 10,000 cattle and 100,000 sheep and lambs in 2022-23.
Cr King said the council received 470 submissions during its consultation process, with community members suggesting management alternatives, facility relocation, selling the saleyards and more.
“Another option was if none of these can be executed, then that would leave us with no option but to close the saleyards,” he said.
“We’ll make a decision on what’s next this side of Christmas.”
Murray River producer Bill Moar was one of 12 people to speak at the meeting, and said a closure would be detrimental to the region’s smaller farmers.
He sells about 500-1000 lambs at the saleyards each year, depending on seasonal conditions and yarding availability.
“The saleyards are a central part of the economy here,” he said.
“It’s the little guy who won’t have access to the saleyards and won’t take their trailer load to Deniliquin, Ballarat, Bendigo, Horsham and Ouyen.”
Meanwhile, livestock agents and saleyard representatives are working to reinvigorate Colac Livestock Selling Centre in southwest Victoria.
The region has faced several saleyard closures in recent years, including at Camperdown, Warrnambool and Geelong. The Colac facility competes with the RLX-owned Western Victoria Livestock Exchange at Mortlake, and Central Victorian Livestock Exchange at Ballarat.
CLSC saleyard assistant Laurie Sharp said the dairy ring had a recent $8000 upgrade with upcoming plans to install double-deck loading ramps.
Colac Otway Shire councillor Charlie Buchanan said the facility needed 30,000 cattle through annually to financially break even.
The saleyard had 12,904 store cattle through in the 2024-25 financial year, 17,709 prime cattle and 751 sheep to total 31,364 stock sold.
“Everything we do after that to make us money we can use around the saleyards and for the upkeep,” Mr Buchanan said.
Mr Buchanan said an advisory committee had discussed changing sale days, a drive-through truck wash and pre-sale weighing.
“The ultimate aim is to get a better selling centre that competes favourably with other selling centres with a good return on the cattle sold there,” he said.
