Dairy sales reprieve at Warragul yards

Warragul’s dairy cattle sales have been given a reprieve and will continue at the Warragul saleyards site for another 15 months.

The final dairy sale was scheduled for Friday but Victorian Livestock Exchange announced on Thursday that it would continue dairy and bobby calf sales at Warragul until March 26, 2021.

VLE announced plans for a new regional saleyards facility in September and at the same time said it would close the Warragul yards within six weeks.

VLE said the Warragul sales would be merged into its Pakenham facility until the new yards were developed.

The news was not welcomed by local agents and farmers.

VLE managing director Wayne Osborne said VLE met with Warragul Stock Agents Association president Michael Savage and other stakeholders on November 22 to discuss the planned closure of Warragul saleyards at the end of this year.

Mr Osborne said the meeting was constructive and after considering the points raised during this meeting, VLE decided to continue dairy sales at the Warragul saleyards until March 26, 2021.

He said it was intended that bobby calf markets will continue until this date as well.

Mr Osborne said VLE would continue with its plan to transfer all other sales currently held at Warragul to the Pakenham facility.

“We need to get the two businesses and get the industry used to working under the one roof and then move to the new facility,” he said.

VLE announced last month it had purchased a 34-hectare site off Tonimbuk Rd at Bunyip North for a new regional saleyards facility.

Mr Osborne said VLE would continue to engage with the agents’ association and stakeholders when designing its new facility.

However, livestock agent Neil Darby, representing Alex Scott and Staff said the association had not been formally advised of the extension.

He called on VLE to also extend the Wednesdays fat cattle sale and Thursdays bull and cow sales.

Mr Darby said VLE held a lease of the yards until August 2021 with an extend.

“I cannot see why the existing sales cannot stay there until that date and that it was the agents want,” he said.

“It is disappointing they cannot continue with the Wednesday and Thursday sales.”

Mr Darby said there had been concern over the ongoing dairy sale and both Alex Scott and Elders had approached Lardner Park with a view to holding weekly dairy sales at the venue.

He said the response from Lardner Park had been positive but because VLE had extended the dairy sale it would not proceed at this stage.

“Down the track if the facilities are required, we would be welcome out there,” he said.

“We will continue to press this issue (Wednesday and Thursday sales) and hope that common sense prevails,” he said.

A consortium of agents, including Mr Darby, is proposing to build a regional saleyards complex at Longwarry. A site has been purchased off Sand Rd. option to