Dubbo saleyards to reopen: All clear given for Monday’s sale

The major NSW saleyards will reopen a week earlier than expected, after no additional Covid-19 cases were linked to the centre.

The Dubbo region is facing difficult times, including for major business owner Roger Fletcher. Picture: Peter Lorimer

The Dubbo saleyards will now reopen from next week, after approval from NSW Health.

The saleyard was initially meant to be closed for a fortnight after three positive Covid-19 cases were linked to the centre, however with “strict” Covid-19 protocols in place next week’s sales will now go ahead.

A statement from Dubbo Regional Council said NSW Health has provided approval for the reinstatement of sales at Dubbo Regional Livestock Markets next week.

It means the sheep sale on Monday, September 13 and prime cattle sale on Thursday, September 16 will now be proceeding.

However, only pre-approved staff, agents and genuine registered pre-approved commission or company buyers are permitted on site.

All attendees will also undergo surveillance testing.

“Upon entry, pre-approved attendees will be required to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test taken within 48 hours of each sale,” the statement said.

Mandatory check-in and fitted face masks are also a condition of entry, and strict distancing of buyers, agents and operational staff will be enforced, including issuing of fines for noncompliance by NSW Police.

“Graziers who are delivering or collecting stock but not attending the sale or interacting closely with sale attendees do not need to show a negative test at the gate.”

It comes after The Weekly Times reported last week, the major NSW selling centre would postpone one prime sale after one person, who attended the saleyards, tested positive for the virus.

Owners of the saleyards — Dubbo Regional Council — said after consultation with NSW Health, the muncipiality, local stock agents and industry originally decided to close for two additional weeks.

A spokeswoman for Dubbo council said the livestock industry and council were “working closely with NSW Health to identify close and casual contacts”.

“However, as a precaution, anyone who attended the cattle sale on Thursday 26 August or sheep sale on Monday 30 August should isolate and get tested.”

After last week’s closure a rescheduled prime sale went ahead on Saturday in the interests of animal welfare. There were 4300 cattle booked in but the sale had strictly limited access.

The closure was expected to be a big disruption to the industry in western NSW, with Dubbo holding a prime cattle and a prime sheep and lamb sale each week, as well as a store cattle sale fortnightly. It also holds goat sales irregularly.

Last year Dubbo saleyards sold the second largest number of cattle in NSW at Meat and Livestock Australia monitored saleyards, with 155,770 cattle through the yards, and 802,090 sheep and lambs.

The regional city and surrounding areas has been hit hard by Covid-19, with its meat processing facility, Fletchers, recently shutdown a fortnight ago due to concerns about the high number of cases in the community.

Fletchers — one of Australia’s biggest sheepmeat processors — was also not been buying at NSW and Victorian saleyards last week.

It is unclear what capacity Fletchers is operating at.

Roger Fletcher told The Weekly Times his business was “getting on top of it”.

“We are going OK,” he said, but did not expand further on how the business was coping in light of the ongoing difficulties the Dubbo community faced.

Dubbo Stock and Station Agents association president Martin Simmonds told The Weekly Times last week was only the second time in 25 years the centre had been forced to cancel a sale.

“The only other time was once during floods when we couldn’t get cattle in, and yes, I think we are the only saleyard in NSW that has been forced to postpone a sale due to this pandemic,” Mr Simmonds said.

“We had drawn for a lot of cattle because people are keen to cash in on how buoyant the market has been.”